PMP · Question #219
A project manager is working on an agile project in a changing business environment. The project sponsor is worried about benefits realization and asks the project manager to pay attention to changes
The correct answer is C. Take action to reprioritize the backlog after every iteration to evaluate if user stories are still. To ensure benefits realization in a changing agile environment, the project manager must regularly reassess and reprioritize the product backlog after each iteration.
Question
A project manager is working on an agile project in a changing business environment. The project sponsor is worried about benefits realization and asks the project manager to pay attention to changes that can affect the project. Which action should the project manager take to identify changes that may affect the product?
Options
- AImplement face-to-face communication between the team and product owner to change the
- BStop the iteration as soon as possible in case an external change that makes the product
- CTake action to reprioritize the backlog after every iteration to evaluate if user stories are still
- DApply a pair programming technique to react to changes immediately, even in the middle of the
How the community answered
(44 responses)- A7% (3)
- B14% (6)
- C77% (34)
- D2% (1)
Why each option
To ensure benefits realization in a changing agile environment, the project manager must regularly reassess and reprioritize the product backlog after each iteration.
While important for clarity, face-to-face communication is not the primary mechanism for systematically identifying product-level changes or ensuring benefits realization across the entire backlog.
In an agile project within a dynamic business environment, the product backlog is a dynamic artifact that must continuously reflect evolving value. Reprioritizing the backlog after every iteration ensures that the project team is always working on the most valuable user stories, allowing for adaptation to changes and continuous alignment with benefits realization goals.
Concept tested: Agile backlog prioritization, adaptive planning
Source: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/devops/boards/backlogs/backlogs-overview?view=azure-devops
Topics
Community Discussion
10
Grace U.Jan 16, 2026C is the right call here. In an agile environment the backlog is your living priority list, so reviewing and reprioritizing it after each iteration is exactly how you catch external shifts early and keep the product aligned with what the business actually needs.
Orla P.Jan 17, 2026Agreed on C, and on exam day remember they sometimes swap the wording to say sprint instead of iteration, same concept, same answer.
Toby R.Jan 4, 2026Sat for PMP three weeks ago and got a near identical question. I first leaned toward A because face-to-face communication sounds agile-friendly, but the stem is really about catching changes that affect the product over time, and C is the mechanism that does that since reprioritizing the backlog each iteration forces the team to evaluate whether existing user stories still deliver value.
Orla P.Jan 5, 2026C is right and the backlog reprioritization angle is solid, but on exam day watch for a variant where they swap in "product backlog refinement" as the answer choice instead, same concept just different wording.
Hiroshi T.Dec 19, 2025C per PMI. Backlog refinement is the agile change-detection mechanism.
Wesley A.Dec 20, 2025C is right but if you said backlog refinement on my first attempt I would have flagged it as a trap because the stem probably said something about a formal request, so watch for that word.
Orla P.Dec 25, 2025Confirmed C on exam last month. The truncated wording is annoying but reprioritizing the backlog after each iteration is exactly how agile handles changing business value, and B is a trap because you dont just halt iterations every time something shifts.
Hiroshi T.Dec 27, 2025Good call on C, and for anyone wanting the authoritative basis, PMIs Agile Practice Guide explicitly lists backlog refinement and reprioritization as an ongoing activity throughout the iteration, not a gating event between them.
Wesley A.Dec 30, 2025I picked A because in an agile environment the best way to catch changes that affect the product is keeping tight, direct communication between the team and the product owner. Failed my first attempt partly because I overthought similar questions, but face-to-face collaboration is exactly how the team stays aligned with shifting business needs.
Toby R.Dec 30, 2025C is the right call here, Wesley. The exam is looking for the retrospective as the structured mechanism for identifying and adapting to changes, not general communication practices, so going with the formal agile ceremony is what gets it right.