PMP · Question #127
A project manager is in a cross-functional agile team. The project manager has been assigned a software project with multiple features that will take the team about a year to complete. The CEO is insi
The correct answer is A. Work with the stakeholders to create a prioritized backlog and release a roadmap.. To align stakeholder expectations for a software project with a one-year scope and a six-month CEO deadline, the project manager should collaborate on backlog prioritization and a release roadmap.
Question
A project manager is in a cross-functional agile team. The project manager has been assigned a software project with multiple features that will take the team about a year to complete. The CEO is insisting that the solution needs to meet business goals for the year end, which is due in 6 months. What should the project manager do to align stakeholders' needs and expectations?
Options
- AWork with the stakeholders to create a prioritized backlog and release a roadmap.
- BModify the requirements to those that can be completed in 6 months.
- CImplement fast-tracking and crashing activities to complete the project in 6 months.
- DInclude all stakeholders in daily scrum meetings to keep them informed.
How the community answered
(20 responses)- A75% (15)
- B5% (1)
- C10% (2)
- D10% (2)
Why each option
To align stakeholder expectations for a software project with a one-year scope and a six-month CEO deadline, the project manager should collaborate on backlog prioritization and a release roadmap.
When faced with a fixed deadline and a scope that exceeds it, the agile approach involves working collaboratively with stakeholders to prioritize features in the backlog. Creating a release roadmap based on this prioritization helps define what can realistically be delivered by the 6-month deadline, managing expectations and ensuring the most critical business goals are met first.
Modifying requirements unilaterally without stakeholder collaboration can lead to dissatisfaction and missed business value; prioritization with stakeholders is key.
Fast-tracking and crashing are traditional project management techniques not typically aligned with agile principles for managing scope, and they often introduce quality issues or burn out teams.
Including all stakeholders in daily Scrum meetings is often disruptive and inefficient; stakeholders are typically engaged through reviews, roadmaps, and product owner communication, not daily stand-ups.
Concept tested: Agile stakeholder management and backlog prioritization
Topics
Community Discussion
7
Viktor S.May 25, 2026A is the answer. In an agile context you dont unilaterally cut scope or force traditional schedule compression techniques like fast-tracking and crashing onto a cross-functional team. The right move is to engage stakeholders in prioritization so the highest-value features land in the first release by the six-month mark, with a roadmap that makes the delivery sequence transparent. D is just noise that would turn daily scrums into a circus, and B is the project manager making a decision that belongs to the product owner and the business.
Luis F.May 28, 2026Yeah A is the move, and you nailed it on B, but I would add that the six-month deadline itself is worth questioning because a fixed date with a fixed scope is basically waterfall wearing an agile hat.
Zlatan X.Jun 14, 2026A is the move here because backlog prioritization plus a release roadmap is how you align stakeholder expectations to business value delivery at the portfolio level, not by crashing scope or dragging everyone into daily standups. Saw this one on my exam last March and almost bit on C because the crashing language sounded decisive, but the stem is really about benefits realization alignment, which points straight to A.
Toby R.Jun 2, 2026Saw this one last week, picked A, backlog plus roadmap is the agile default.
Luis F.Jun 3, 2026Yeah A is right but heads up, the exam might also throw in burndown charts as a distractor since some people confuse those with backlog tracking.
Luis F.Jun 21, 2026A is definitely correct, I picked this on my exam last month. Creating a prioritized backlog with a release roadmap lets the team focus on delivering the highest-value features first so the CEO gets something that meets business goals by year end.
Fatima Z.May 14, 2026A is the golden ticket here, folks. Remember my handy acronym BPR: Backlog, Prioritize, Roadmap. The PM needs to work with stakeholders to prioritize the most valuable features and build a release roadmap that delivers a working product within the six-month CEO deadline. B is a trap because the PM cannot just chop off requirements without stakeholder collaboration, and C is pure predictive-project thinking, not agile. D is a total disaster because dragging executives into daily scrums violates the sacred agile taco, I mean the agile manifesto, and would turn standups into a chaotic mess.