PMP Practice Exam Question

Gilbert's organization is about to embark on a new project to develop an application that will automate certain business processes. The application's requirements are not well defined, and the market conditions are expected to change rapidly during the development cycle. The stakeholders want to see some early results before committing to significant funding, and they expect flexibility to adjust the features of the software as insights are gained through development.

As the Project Manager, Gilbert is evaluating which project management approach to employ. Which of the following project management approaches should Gilbert select?

A) Predictive (Waterfall) Approach, because it allows for a structured and sequential design process.

B) Agile Approach, because it provides flexibility, stakeholder engagement, and the ability to adapt to changes.

C) Critical Chain Project Management (CCPM), because it emphasizes the resources required to complete project tasks.

D) Lean Approach, because it focuses on delivering value with less waste and a focus on efficiency.

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The Best Answer is B.

The Agile Approach is the best fit for this project scenario for the following reasons:

1. Unclear Requirements: Agile is designed to handle projects with less clearly defined requirements upfront. It allows for continuous customer involvement to refine and prioritize the requirements, which suits the stakeholders' desire to adjust features as insights are gained.
2. Rapid Changes: Agile methodologies accommodate and embrace changes, even late in development, which is vital given the rapidly changing market conditions mentioned in the scenario.
3. Early and Incremental Delivery: Agile enables early delivery of the project through increments, which can provide the early results stakeholders want to see before providing significant funding.
4. Stakeholder Engagement: Agile processes involve stakeholders throughout the project, ensuring continuous feedback and engagement, aligning the final product more closely with stakeholder needs and expectations.

Let's also briefly discuss why the other options are not the best choices:

A) Predictive (Waterfall) Approach: This approach is not suitable for projects where requirements are not well defined or expected to change. It works best for projects with clear, stable requirements and where a sequential phase-to-phase development is appropriate.

C) Critical Chain Project Management (CCPM): While CCPM is an effective method for focusing on resource optimization and reducing project duration, it does not inherently accommodate changing requirements or emphasize incremental delivery.

D) Lean Approach: Although Lean principles aim to deliver value with less waste, they do not specifically address the need for handling rapidly changing requirements or the need for early and incremental delivery.

Therefore, given the needs for flexibility, stakeholder involvement, and adaptability, the Agile Approach (Option B) is the best choice for managing this project.