PMP · Question #15
A company initiated a departmental transformation project improving the processes for the organization using a predictive approach. This is a critical project for the organization and, in the middle o
The correct answer is D. Identified all required skills during the planning of the project. To prevent a project deliverable from being stalled by a missing technical skill, the project manager should have proactively identified all necessary skills during the initial planning phase of the project.
Question
A company initiated a departmental transformation project improving the processes for the organization using a predictive approach. This is a critical project for the organization and, in the middle of the project, the project manager noticed that one of the deliverables cannot be produced due to a missing technical skill. What should the project manager have done to avoid this?
Options
- AAsked the sponsor to identify all required skills during the planning of the project
- BIdentified all required skills after the kick-off of the project
- CPlanned all required training for the team during the onboarding process
- DIdentified all required skills during the planning of the project
How the community answered
(32 responses)- A3% (1)
- B13% (4)
- C6% (2)
- D78% (25)
Why each option
To prevent a project deliverable from being stalled by a missing technical skill, the project manager should have proactively identified all necessary skills during the initial planning phase of the project.
While the project sponsor can provide input, the primary responsibility for identifying all required skills and resources for project execution rests with the project manager, not solely with the sponsor.
Identifying required skills only after the project kick-off is reactive and too late for a predictive project, as resource allocation and skill gap remediation should be planned upfront to prevent mid-project issues.
Planning required training for the team during the onboarding process is an action to address identified skill gaps, but it does not address the fundamental issue of *identifying* those missing skills in the first place, which should occur earlier.
In a predictive project, the project manager is responsible for conducting thorough resource planning, which includes identifying all required technical skills during the project's planning phase. This proactive step ensures that any skill gaps can be addressed early through training, hiring, or external acquisition, preventing delays during execution.
Concept tested: Resource Planning, Skill Gap Analysis
Topics
Community Discussion
7
Mei-Ling H.Dec 2, 2025D is correct. The key word is "during the planning of the project" - in a predictive approach you must identify all required skills as part of resource planning before execution begins, not after kickoff or by asking the sponsor to do the PM's job.
Ola B.Dec 3, 2025D is right but the practical angle here is that in a real predictive project you would have captured most of these skill requirements back when you built the resource breakdown structure, not during some vague planning phase.
Olusegun A.Nov 10, 2025D is correct. The PM owns resource planning in the Plan Resource Management process.
Dervla O.Nov 12, 2025Agreed on D, but watch the wording in the stem because they love to swap "owns the plan" with "leads the process" to trip you up, so read it twice before locking in.
Ola B.Nov 20, 2025D is the right call here but I want to quibble with the phrasing a bit. In a predictive approach the project manager drives resource planning during the Plan Resource Management process, so saying the PM identified all required skills during planning is correct. Option A is a tempting trap because critical projects often have heavy sponsor involvement, but delegating skill identification to the sponsor is not how it works. The PM owns that analysis as part of building the resource breakdown structure and the staffing management plan.
Dervla O.Nov 6, 2025Saw this exact scenario on my exam last spring and the key is recognizing that in a predictive approach, resource and skill identification happens during planning, not after kickoff. D is correct because the PM owns this during the Plan Resource Management process, whereas A tries to hand it off to the sponsor and B happens too late.
Ola B.Nov 8, 2025D is right but if you spin up a quick sandbox project in something like MS Project and actually walk through the resource calendar step, the timing of when skills get identified sticks way better than just memorizing process names.