PMP · Question #542
A project manager prepared a project benefits management plan. Which of the following should be included in this document?
The correct answer is D. Target benefits, strategic alignment, time frame for realizing benefits. A project benefits management plan should include target benefits, their strategic alignment, and the time frame for realizing them, focusing on how the project will achieve value.
Question
A project manager prepared a project benefits management plan. Which of the following should be included in this document?
Options
- AStrategic alignment, benefits owner, risk register
- BTarget benefits, benefits owner, lessons learned
- CProject requirements, target benefits, issue log, metrics
- DTarget benefits, strategic alignment, time frame for realizing benefits
How the community answered
(28 responses)- A4% (1)
- B4% (1)
- D93% (26)
Why each option
A project benefits management plan should include target benefits, their strategic alignment, and the time frame for realizing them, focusing on how the project will achieve value.
While strategic alignment and benefits owner are correct, a risk register is a separate project document, not a direct component of the benefits management plan itself.
Target benefits and benefits owner are correct, but "lessons learned" is typically an output collected throughout the project lifecycle and at closure, not a core component of the initial benefits management plan.
Project requirements and issue log are separate project documents; while metrics are relevant to benefits measurement, the other items do not belong in a benefits management plan.
A benefits management plan outlines how project benefits will be identified, maximized, and sustained. Key components typically include the target benefits (the measurable value the project is expected to deliver), how these benefits align with the organization's strategic objectives, and the defined time frame over which these benefits are expected to be realized.
Concept tested: Components of a project benefits management plan
Source: https://www.pmi.org/pmbok-guide-standards/foundational/pmbok/project-benefits-management-plan
Topics
Community Discussion
7
Orla P.Oct 20, 2025D is correct. The benefits management plan covers target benefits, strategic alignment, and the time frame for realizing benefits, while options A through C incorrectly mix in operational documents like the risk register, issue log, and lessons learned that live elsewhere.
Grace U.Oct 12, 2025D is the one you want here. The benefits management plan is about the business value side of the project, so it focuses on target benefits, how those benefits tie to strategy, and when they will be realized. Options A, B, and C mix in operational artifacts like risk registers, issue logs, and lessons learned that belong elsewhere. I had this exact question on my exam last spring and remember pausing on B because lessons learned sounded reasonable, but the time frame for realizing benefits is the piece that makes D complete.
Mei-Ling H.Oct 29, 2025D is correct. The PMBOK lists target benefits, strategic alignment, and time frame for realizing benefits as core contents of the benefits management plan. Option B is tempting because benefits owner is actually a valid component too, but lessons learned is not part of this document, so that choice falls apart. Option A also mixes in the risk register, which belongs in risk management, not benefits management. The key qualifier here is what should be included in this document, meaning all three items in the answer must match, and only D satisfies that.
Nina C.Oct 30, 2025Quick question before I agree fully: are you sure D is the one with all three, because on my exam last month the correct answer had target benefits, strategic alignment, and the metrics used to measure benefits, not the time frame, so I want to make sure we are looking at the same option set.
Nina C.Nov 10, 2025D is correct because the benefits management plan is about the business value side, not the operational project logs. Quick question from someone still wrapping her head around this: the plan describes how benefits get realized, but does the actual tracking of those benefits happen here or in the business case?
Wei W.Nov 10, 2025You are right that D fits, and to answer your question, the benefits management plan defines the metrics and the cadence for tracking but the business case is where the original justification lives, so think of the plan as the how-and-when and the business case as the why.
Wei W.Oct 25, 2025D is correct. The benefits plan ties target benefits to strategy and realization timeframe.