Organize a face-to-face meeting with all stakeholders to understand their interests and concerns.

Explanation:

According to the PMBOK Guide, consensus decision-making is a technique that ensures that all input and ideas from a group or team are considered until a final decision that is acceptable to all emerges. This approach relies heavily on respectful dialogue and open-mindedness, and it is often used to build consensus regarding the requirements in project management. By organizing a face-to-face meeting with all stakeholders, the project manager can facilitate the communication and collaboration among them, and elicit their needs, expectations, and preferences. This can help to resolve any conflicts or contradictions, and reach a common understanding of the project requirements.

References:

• PMBOK Guide, Sixth Edition, Chapter 5, Section 5.2.2.4
• How to use Consensus Decision-Making for Project Management by Grace Windsor?

Provide appropriate training to compensate for the mismatch.

Explanation

According to the PMBOK Guide, 7th edition, one of the principles of project management is to support team performance. This means that the project manager should foster a collaborative project team environment, build team competencies, and address and remove impediments, obstacles, and blockers for the team. In this scenario, the project manager should provide appropriate training to the team members who lack the necessary skills or knowledge to perform their tasks, rather than emphasizing deadlines, updating the schedule, or accepting the risk. Providing training will help the team improve their performance, deliver value, and meet the expectations of the steering committee and other stakeholders.

References: PMBOK Guide, 7th edition, page 9, Principle 8: Support team performance.

Evaluate the project manager’s own strengths and weaknesses as a virtual team leader to identify avoidable pitfalls

Establish in the beginning, how progress will be monitored and the best means for communicating progress

According to the Project Management Professional (PMP) Reference Materials, two actions that a project manager should consider while launching a new virtual team are:

Evaluate the project manager’s own strengths and weaknesses as a virtual team leader to identify avoidable pitfalls. This can help the project manager to develop the necessary skills and competencies to effectively lead, guide, and nurture a virtual team, such as communication, collaboration, motivation, trust, and cultural awareness12. The project manager can also seek feedback, coaching, or mentoring from other experienced virtual team leaders to improve their performance and avoid common mistakes3.

Establish in the beginning, how progress will be monitored and the best means for communicating progress. This can help the project manager to set clear expectations, goals, and standards for the virtual team, and to ensure that the team members are aligned, accountable, and informed throughout the project4 . The project manager can also use various communication and collaboration tools, such as video conferencing, chat, email, project management software, and online dashboards, to facilitate regular and effective communication and reporting among the virtual team members and stakeholders.

The other options, A, C, and E, are not actions that a project manager should consider while launching a new virtual team, but rather actions that a project manager should consider while planning or executing a project with a virtual team. Recruiting the best resources within the organization to be part of the virtual team is a human resource planning activity that involves identifying and acquiring the project team members.

Identifying the types and quantities of resources required for each work package or activity is a resource management activity that involves estimating and allocating the resources needed to complete the project work. Verifying if team members are on more than one team and cannot devote enough time to this team is a performance management activity that involves monitoring and controlling the team members’ availability, workload, and productivity. References: 1: A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Sixth Edition, Chapter 9.4.2.2, "Team Development Stages". 2: Agile Practice Guide, Chapter 2.2, "Agile Principles". 3: Best practices for managing and developing virtual project teams, Section "Preparing for success — the project manager’s role". 4: A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Sixth Edition, Chapter 9.4.3.1, "Team Performance Assessment". : A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Sixth Edition, Chapter 10.2.2.1, "Communication Requirements Analysis". : 10 Tips to Manage Virtual Project Teams - Ganttic, Section "Communication tools". : Project and resource planning tools - Ganttic, Section "Project and resource planning tools". : A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Sixth Edition, Chapter 9.1.3.1, "Project Team". : A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Sixth Edition, Chapter 9.2.3.1, "Resource Requirements". : A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Sixth Edition, Chapter 9.6.3.1, "Work Performance Data".

Functional managers

Advisory team panel

Explanation

Compliance requirements are the rules and regulations that a project must follow to meet the standards of quality, safety, security, and reliability in a given industry or domain. Compliance requirements can be classified into different categories, such as legal, ethical, contractual, organizational, or environmental.

Compliance requirements can pose potential threats to the project if they are not identified, analyzed, and addressed properly. For example, noncompliance can result in fines, penalties, lawsuits, reputational damage, or project failure.

To plan and manage project compliance, the project manager needs to confirm the project compliance requirements, determine the necessary approach and action to address them, and measure the extent to which the project is in compliance. To do this, the project manager can use various methods and tools, such as compliance audits, checklists, matrices, gap analysis, risk management, stakeholder analysis, and communication management.

The project manager can also seek the help of different stakeholders who can provide valuable input, guidance, and support for the project compliance. Two of the most important stakeholders are the functional managers and the advisory team panel. Functional managers are the managers of the functional departments or units within the organization, such as finance, marketing, human resources, or operations. They are responsible for providing the project with the necessary resources, expertise, and authorization to meet the compliance requirements. They can also help the project manager to align the project compliance with the organizational policies, procedures, and goals. Advisory team panel is a group of experts or consultants who can advise the project manager on the best practices, standards, and regulations for the project compliance. They can also help the project manager to identify and address the compliance gaps, risks, and issues, and to monitor and control the project compliance performance.

Therefore, the correct answer is B. Functional managers and D. Advisory team panel. The other options are not as relevant or helpful as these two stakeholders. Risk steering committee is a group of senior executives who oversee the risk management of the organization or the portfolio of projects. They are not directly involved in the project compliance, although they can provide strategic direction and support. Board of directors is the highest governing body of the organization, who set the vision, mission, and objectives of the organization. They are not directly involved in the project compliance, although they can approve the project charter and the project budget. Chief executive officer is the highest-ranking executive of the organization, who leads the overall management and operations of the organization. They are not directly involved in the project compliance, although they can sponsor the project and provide executive support. References:

• PMBOK Guide 7th Edition, chapters 2.4, 3.1 (part ‘Standard’) and 2.5, 3.1, 3.4 (part ‘PMBOK’).

Process Groups: A Practice Guide, chapters 1.5, 2.1, 2.3, 2.5, 2.6, 3.3, 5.14, 7.7, 9 (Enterprise environmental factors, Quality metrics), and 3.DEFINITIONS (Regulations).

Meet with subject matter experts (SMEs) to assess the impact to objectives

Explanation

The project manager should meet with the subject matter experts (SMEs) to assess the impact of the new regulation on the project objectives, scope, schedule, cost, quality, and risk. The SMEs are the ones who have the knowledge and expertise to understand the implications of the new regulation and how it affects the project deliverables. The project manager should also involve the stakeholders, especially the project sponsor and the customer, in the assessment process to ensure their expectations and requirements are met. The project manager should then use the assessment results to determine the best course of action to address the change, such as modifying the project plan, requesting a change request, or escalating the issue to the appropriate authority. The project manager should follow the change management process as defined in the project management plan and the business analysis plan, and document the changes and their impacts in the project documents and the traceability matrix. The project manager should also communicate the changes and their impacts to the project team and the stakeholders, and obtain their buy-in and support.

The other options are not the best actions to take next, because they do not address the impact of the new regulation on the project objectives and deliverables. Consulting with the project sponsor to discuss a cost increase (option A) may be premature, as the cost impact may not be known until the assessment is done. Acquiring approval for an exception to the implementation of the new regulation (option B) may not be feasible or desirable, as it may compromise the compliance and quality of the project deliverables. Getting approval for the additional budget from the steering committee (option C) may also be premature, as the budget impact may not be known until the assessment is done. Moreover, the budget approval may not be sufficient to address the other impacts of the new regulation, such as scope, schedule, quality, and risk.

References:

• The PMI Guide to Business Analysis Includes The Standard for Business Analysis, Chapter 5: Solution Evaluation, Section 5.3.3: Assess Solution Limitations
• Business Analysis for Practitioners: A Practice Guide, Chapter 7: Solution Evaluation, Section 7.3.3: Assess Solution Limitations
• Business Analysis Techniques: 72 Essential Tools For Success, Chapter 5: Strategy Analysis, Section 5.13: Impact Analysis
• Seven Steps to Mastering Business Analysis, Chapter 9: Solution Assessment and Validation

Review the project's benefits management plan with the product owner.

Explanation

A hybrid approach is a combination of two or more project management methodologies, such as Waterfall and Agile, that aims to create a better fit for the project and the organization123. A hybrid approach allows for flexibility and adaptability, but also requires alignment and communication among the project

stakeholders. One of the key aspects of a hybrid approach is benefits management, which is the identification, definition, planning, tracking and realization of benefits4. Benefits are the positive outcomes and value that the project delivers to the organization and the customers5. A benefits management plan is a document that outlines how the benefits will be identified, measured, tracked and realized throughout the project lifecycle46.

In this scenario, the product owner, who is the person responsible for defining and prioritizing the product requirements and ensuring the delivery of value, stated that the product does not deliver any value, despite meeting the specifications. This indicates a misalignment between the product owner’s expectations and the project’s benefits. The project manager, who is the person responsible for leading and managing the project team and delivering the project objectives, believes that the product meets the specifications and is confused by the product owner’s statement. The development team, who is the group of people responsible for designing, building and testing the product, is also confused by the product owner’s statement.

The best course of action for the project manager in this situation is to review the project’s benefits management plan with the product owner. This will help to clarify the benefits that the project aims to achieve, how they align with the product owner’s expectations and the organization’s strategic objectives, how they will be measured and tracked, and how they will be realized. By reviewing the benefits management plan, the project manager and the product owner can identify any gaps, issues or changes that need to be addressed, and agree on the next steps to ensure the delivery of value. This will also help to improve the communication and collaboration among the project stakeholders, and increase the chances of project success.

The other options are not the best choices for the project manager in this situation. Escalating the matter to the executive board (option A) may be premature and unnecessary, as it may create more confusion and conflict, and undermine the trust and authority of the project manager and the product owner. Prioritizing the project backlog and asking the development team to fix the issues (option B) may be ineffective and inefficient, as it may not address the root cause of the problem, and may waste time and resources on unnecessary or irrelevant changes. Asking the product owner to terminate the project (option D) may be drastic and detrimental, as it may result in the loss of value, investment and reputation, and damage the relationship between the project manager and the product owner.

References:

1. What is the Hybrid Approach in Project Management? | Hygger.io
2. What Is Hybrid Project Management? | TeamGantt
3. Ultimate Guide To Hybrid Project Methodologies & How To Make Them
4. Benefits Management for Projects: Making a Benefits Management Plan
5. What is benefits management and project success? | APM
6. Benefits Management Plan: What it Is and How to Make it

Validated each stakeholder's understanding during the kick-off meeting

Explanation

According to the PBA Guide, the project manager should validate the stakeholder’s understanding of the project management plan during the kick-off meeting, which is a formal meeting to communicate the start of the project and the expectations of the stakeholders1. This is also consistent with the PMBOK Guide, which states that the project manager should ensure that the project management plan is approved by the appropriate stakeholders and that the approval is based on a common understanding of the project scope, objectives, deliverables, and milestones2. By validating the stakeholder’s understanding during the kick-off meeting, the project manager can prevent misunderstandings, conflicts, and delays that may arise later in the project due to different levels of understanding by international stakeholders. References:

1. PBA Guide, Chapter 3, Section 3.4.1, Page 63
2. PMBOK Guide, Chapter 4, Section 4.2.3.1, Page 89

Review the risk management plan to evaluate the probability and impact of these delays.

Explanation

The project manager should review the risk management plan to evaluate the probability and impact of these delays, and determine the appropriate response strategies. The risk management plan is a document that describes how risk management activities will be planned, structured, and performed throughout the project. It includes the processes, roles and responsibilities, tools and techniques, risk categories, risk appetite, risk thresholds, and risk response strategies for the project1. By reviewing the risk management plan, the project manager can identify the risks that are causing or contributing to the delays, such as cultural differences, communication barriers, or schedule conflicts. The project manager can also assess the likelihood and severity of these risks, and their effect on the project objectives, such as scope, time, cost, quality, and stakeholder satisfaction. Based on this analysis, the project manager can select the best risk response strategies, such as avoid, transfer, mitigate, exploit, share, enhance, or accept, and implement them to reduce the negative impact or increase the positive impact of the risks2. The project manager can also update the risk register, which is a document that records the details of all identified risks, their analysis, and their response plans3.

The other options, implementing crashing, fast-tracking, or conflict management, are not the best ways to handle this situation. Crashing and fast-tracking are schedule compression techniques that can be used to shorten the project duration without changing the project scope4. However, these techniques have drawbacks, such as increasing costs, risks, or rework, and they may not address the root causes of the delays. Conflict management is a process of resolving disagreements among project stakeholders, such as team members, sponsors, customers, or suppliers5. However, conflict management may not be effective if the delays are caused by external factors, such as holidays, that are beyond the control of the project team.

References:

1. A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Sixth Edition, Chapter 11.1.3.1
2. A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Sixth Edition, Chapter 11.5.2
3. A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Sixth Edition, Chapter 11.4.2.1
4. A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Sixth Edition, Chapter 6.6
5. A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Sixth Edition, Chapter 9.5

A lot of discussions that yield no results or possibly too many results

A focus on the negative and a disinterest in further improvements

Explanation

Skipping project retrospectives can have negative impacts on the project performance, quality, and team morale. Project retrospectives are important for identifying and analyzing the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of the project, and for implementing corrective and preventive actions to improve the project outcomes and processes. By reducing the time for preparation and discussion, the project manager could cause the following issues:

• A lot of discussions that yield no results or possibly too many results: Without proper preparation, the project manager and the team may not have a clear agenda, objectives, and scope for the retrospective. This could lead to unfocused, irrelevant, or redundant discussions that do not produce any meaningful insights or action items. Alternatively, the project manager and the team may try to cover too many topics or issues in a short time, resulting in superficial, incomplete, or overwhelming analysis and recommendations.
• A focus on the negative and a disinterest in further improvements: Without sufficient time for discussion, the project manager and the team may not be able to explore the root causes, impacts, and solutions of the project problems in depth. This could lead to a negative and blame-oriented attitude, where the team members only focus on the failures and faults of the project, and do not appreciate the successes and achievements. This could also lead to a loss of interest and motivation for further improvements, as the team members may feel that the retrospective is a waste of time, or that the project issues are too complex or difficult to resolve.

Five whys

Ishikawa diagrams

Explanation

The correct answers are A and C. According to the PMBOK® Guide, the five whys and the Ishikawa diagrams are examples of data analysis techniques that can be used to identify the root causes of problems or issues1.

The project manager can use these tools to determine why stakeholder engagement is not having the planned effect and address the underlying factors. The communications management plan is a document that describes how project communications will be planned, managed, and controlled2, but it does not help to analyze the reasons for stakeholder engagement issues. The issue log is a project document that records and monitors the issues that arise during a project3, but it does not help to find the root causes of those issues. Open-space meetings are a type of interpersonal and team skills that can be used to facilitate stakeholder engagement and collaboration, but they do not help to diagnose the problem of stakeholder engagement.

References:

1. PMBOK® Guide, page 698
2. PMBOK® Guide, page 377
3. PMBOK® Guide, page 123; : PMBOK® Guide, page 704

One iteration

Explanation:

An agile project manager would like to convert the requirements document into epics, capabilities, features and stories in order to create a product backlog that can be prioritized and refined by the agile team and the product owner. The product backlog is a dynamic and evolving artifact that represents the customer’s needs and expectations for the product. To estimate the story duration, the agile project manager should use the team’s historical data and empirical evidence from previous iterations. The agile project manager should also involve the team members who will perform the work in the estimation process, as they have the best knowledge and expertise about the tasks and the complexity involved. The agile project manager should estimate the story duration in one iteration, as this is the timebox for delivering a potentially releasable product increment. Estimating the story duration in one iteration allows the agile project manager to plan and monitor the iteration progress, adjust the scope and priorities based on feedback and changes, and ensure that the team delivers value to the customer in a timely manner. Estimating the story duration in more than one iteration would introduce uncertainty and risk, as the team’s velocity, the customer’s requirements, and the product’s quality might change over time. Estimating the story duration in less than one iteration would not be feasible, as the team would not have enough time to complete the work and validate the results.

References:
PMBOK Guide, 6th edition, Section 6.2, 6.3, 6.4, 6.5, Agile Practice Guide, Section 3.2, 3.3, 4.2, 4.3

Security and performance testing

Story testing

Tests based on behavior and test-driven development

Explanation:

According to the Agile Testing: A Practical Guide For Testers And Agile Teams1, security and performance testing are two types of nonfunctional testing that are important for agile teams. Security testing ensures that the system is protected from unauthorized access, data loss, or corruption. Performance testing measures how the system responds to different levels of load, stress, and concurrency. These types of testing can be done at different levels of granularity, from unit testing to system testing, and can use tools such as JMeter, LoadRunner, or Selenium.

Story testing is a type of functional testing that verifies that the system meets the acceptance criteria of each user story. User stories are short descriptions of the features or functionalities that the customer wants from the system. Story testing can be done by the developers, testers, or customers, and can use tools such as FitNesse, Cucumber, or SpecFlow.

Tests based on behavior and test-driven development are two approaches that support agile testing practices. Behavior-driven development (BDD) is a technique that uses natural language to describe the expected behavior of the system in different scenarios. Test-driven development (TDD) is a technique that involves writing the tests before the code, and then refactoring the code to make the tests pass. Both BDD and TDD help to clarify the requirements, design the system, and ensure the quality of the code. They can use tools such as JUnit, NUnit, or RSpec.

References: (Professional in Business Analysis Reference Materials source and documents)

• Agile Testing: A Practical Guide For Testers And Agile Teams, Lisa Crispin and Janet Gregory, Addison-Wesley Professional, 2009
• Scrum Testing: A Detailed Guide to Testing on an Agile Team, Testim, Accessed on January 29, 2024
• Agile Testing Best Practices & Why They Matter, Atlassian, Accessed on January 29, 2024