Project Management Professional (PMP) Practice Exam

You are just leaving a meeting during which you have been assigned as the manager of a project to build a sub-station that is part of a major electric power distribution system. The decision to run the project has been made before your assignment and without your involvement. Some basic decisions on deliverables, staffing, budgeting and on the completion date have already been made as well. What should you do first?

1. Obtain a project charter which links the project to the strategy and ongoing work of the organization and documents the initial decisions.

2. Create a project schedule for your project which shows all major milestones and deadlines linked with them. Then try to obtain approval for the schedule.

3. Start developing a detailed risk register which includes identified risks with their qualitative and quantitative assessments and a response plan.

4. Start the quality assurance process by developing test procedures for the final deliverable and defining metrics against which the tests will be performed.

The correct answer is: Obtain a project charter which links the project to the strategy and ongoing work of the organization and documents the initial decisions.

You should obtain a project charter which links the project to the strategy and ongoing work of the organization and documents the initial decisions. This is important because as the newly assigned manager, it is crucial to understand the project's purpose, goals, and scope before making any further decisions. Option B is incorrect because creating a project schedule should come after obtaining a project charter, as the schedule should align with the project's objectives. Option C is incorrect because although developing a risk register is important, it should also be done after obtaining a project charter. Option D is incorrect because quality assurance and testing should also be based on the project's objectives, which can be found in the project charter.