PMP · Question #537
A construction company is executing a building contract that includes firm milestones for replacing certain components of the building. During execution, the client complains that the new components d
The correct answer is B. Defined acceptance criteria in a quality checklist agreed upon before starting the build phase. To prevent client complaints about components not meeting requirements, the project manager should have established clear, agreed-upon acceptance criteria and quality checklists before the build phase.
Question
A construction company is executing a building contract that includes firm milestones for replacing certain components of the building. During execution, the client complains that the new components do not meet the requirements. What should the project manager have done to prevent this from happening?
Options
- AContinuously communicated the changes in the work plan and the agreement to the client
- BDefined acceptance criteria in a quality checklist agreed upon before starting the build phase
- CProvided compensation for issues due to the variance in the agreed-upon requirements
- DApproved a detailed change management process before starting the build phase
How the community answered
(44 responses)- A9% (4)
- B73% (32)
- C2% (1)
- D16% (7)
Why each option
To prevent client complaints about components not meeting requirements, the project manager should have established clear, agreed-upon acceptance criteria and quality checklists before the build phase.
While continuous communication is important, it doesn't alone prevent components from failing to meet requirements if those requirements or acceptance criteria are not clearly defined upfront.
Defining acceptance criteria and incorporating them into a quality checklist that is agreed upon with the client before the build phase ensures that both parties have a shared understanding of what constitutes a successful deliverable. This proactive measure establishes measurable standards, allowing for early verification of components against specified requirements and preventing misunderstandings or dissatisfaction later.
Providing compensation is a reactive measure for when issues have already occurred, not a preventive action to stop them from happening.
Approving a change management process is essential for handling scope changes, but it doesn't directly address the prevention of deliverables failing to meet initial requirements if those requirements and acceptance criteria weren't adequately defined.
Concept tested: Quality management and acceptance criteria definition
Source: https://www.pmi.org/pmbok-guide-standards/foundational/pmbok/plan-quality-management
Topics
Community Discussion
8
Dervla O.May 29, 2026B is correct because the stem points to a disagreement over whether deliverables meet requirements, which is an acceptance criteria problem. Defining those criteria in a quality checklist before the build phase gives both sides a measurable standard to verify against, so there is no ambiguity at milestone handoff. A and D are change management traps that sound reasonable but do not address the root issue of undefined quality expectations. C is a reactive remedy, not prevention, so eliminate it immediately.
Brenda K.May 15, 2026B is your quick win here, maybe 20 seconds tops. Acceptance criteria defined and agreed before build starts is exactly what prevents the "client says it doesn't meet requirements" scenario at the back end. A is a trap because it assumes changes happened, and the stem never says that. D is a time sink if you overthink it because change management handles modifications after baseline, not the original quality expectations.
Mei-Ling H.May 17, 2026Agree on B, but watch the word "agreed" in the stem because if only one party signed off and the other merely reviewed, that is acceptance criteria defined but not agreed, which flips you toward the change management answer.
Mei-Ling H.Jun 9, 2026B is correct. The key word in the stem is "prevent", which points to a proactive quality planning step rather than a reactive fix. By defining the acceptance criteria in a checklist and getting client agreement before the build phase starts, the team has a clear standard to measure the components against before installation. Option A is about communicating changes after the fact, and option D handles scope changes, not the core issue of requirements compliance.
Anjali D.Jun 3, 2026Group consensus is B. Does anyone know if acceptance criteria live in the quality management plan or the scope baseline?
Carlos M.Jun 4, 2026B is right, but to Anjali's question: acceptance criteria live in the scope baseline (specifically the project scope statement), not the quality management plan.
Carlos M.May 8, 2026B is the answer. D tempts you but the real issue is no acceptance criteria upfront.
Brenda K.May 10, 2026Agree on B, and word of warning: do not overthink this one, pick it and move on in under 45 seconds because the acceptance criteria angle is a dead giveaway and you need those seconds for the scenario questions later.