Project Management Professional (PMP) — Question 365

A project manager works in a matrix organization and is managing an internal software development project that is intended to reduce conflicts in the company's internal tracking system. During development, the project manager is informed that the software has to account for an unexpected change to government accounting requirements. The development team was able to make the change with no additional cost; however, the project manager notices that the testing costs are beginning to exceed the testing budget.

What should the project manager do?

Answer options

• A. Ask the project sponsor to allocate funds from the contingency reserve to fund the additional testing.
• B. Conduct a cost-benefit analysis to determine if the funds can be reallocated from the development team.
• C. Submit a change request to the cost baseline through the governance process to fund the additional testing.
• D. Update the basis of estimates and the cost management plan to track the additional funding required for testing.

Correct answer: C

Explanation

The correct answer is C because submitting a change request is the proper procedure to formally adjust the cost baseline in response to increased testing costs. Option A is not ideal since it does not follow the official change management process. Option B may not provide a clear solution as it only assesses the situation without addressing the immediate need for additional funds. Option D suggests tracking additional funding but does not address the necessity of obtaining approval for the budget increase.