PMP · Question #27
A project team is implementing an enterprise notification tool with a vendor. The project manager noticed that this vendor's developer has been reporting the same status for several weeks in a row. A
The correct answer is C. Add the delay to the issue log and work with the vendor for a resolution that will bring the. Upon learning of a confirmed delay from a vendor due to resource constraints, the project manager should log this as an issue and collaborate with the vendor to find a resolution. This immediate action addresses the present problem and aims to get the project back on track.
Question
A project team is implementing an enterprise notification tool with a vendor. The project manager noticed that this vendor's developer has been reporting the same status for several weeks in a row. A few days later, the vendor communicates that the deliverable will not be completed on time due to resource constraints within their company. What should the project manager do next?
Options
- AUpdate the risk register to reflect the delay, communicate the impact to the schedule, and
- BConduct a project review with the project sponsor to explain the delay and add a developer to
- CAdd the delay to the issue log and work with the vendor for a resolution that will bring the
- DReview the contract with the vendor to go over the financial penalty that is applicable to this
How the community answered
(51 responses)- A8% (4)
- B4% (2)
- C75% (38)
- D14% (7)
Why each option
Upon learning of a confirmed delay from a vendor due to resource constraints, the project manager should log this as an issue and collaborate with the vendor to find a resolution. This immediate action addresses the present problem and aims to get the project back on track.
Updating the risk register is incorrect because the delay is no longer a *potential* risk; it is a *confirmed issue*. Communicating impact and escalating might follow, but the immediate action is issue resolution.
Adding a developer to the vendor's team might not be feasible or contractually allowed, and it should not be the first unilateral action without discussing resolution options with the vendor.
A confirmed delay due to vendor resource constraints is an active problem, not a potential risk, and should be added to the issue log. The project manager's immediate next step is to work collaboratively with the vendor to identify and implement a resolution, focusing on getting the deliverable back on schedule or minimizing its impact.
Immediately reviewing the contract for penalties can damage the working relationship with the vendor and should be a last resort if collaborative resolution efforts fail, not the first step.
Concept tested: Issue management and vendor collaboration
Source: https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/issue-log-project-management-best-practices-6571
Topics
Community Discussion
4
Fatima Z.Dec 19, 2025C is your golden ticket here. Think LION: Log the Issue, then Own the Negotiation with the vendor, because a vendor delay is a classic issue to resolve, not just a risk to watch. A is wrong because the delay is already happening, so the risk has materialized into an issue, and D is a trap that feels good but burns the relationship before you try to fix the problem. I tell my students to remember that the exam always wants you to fix the problem first, so grab your LION and roar your way to the right answer.
Zlatan X.Dec 21, 2025Agree on C, but worth noting that at the program level the vendor delay creates a component interdependency risk that governance needs to track across affected projects, not just resolve as a one-off issue.
Yusuf A.Dec 8, 2025Leaned toward D because penalties sound satisfying but a senior PM told me the exam always wants you to work with the vendor on a resolution first, which points straight to C.
Zlatan X.Dec 15, 2025C is right but A is tempting, risk register alone does not resolve the issue.