PMP · Question #659
A project has completed design activities ahead of schedule. Suddenly, the project manager is informed by a vendor that a deliverable may not meet the agreed delivery time frame due to a resource…
The correct answer is B. Discuss with the project team alternative options to deliver as planned. The project manager should collaborate with the team to find alternative solutions when a vendor issue threatens delivery, even if design activities are ahead of schedule.
Question
Options
- AInform the project team that they may proceed at a more relaxed pace.
- BDiscuss with the project team alternative options to deliver as planned.
- CInform the project team that some of them will work for the vendor.
- DDiscuss with the team the need for longer hours to minimize the impact.
How the community answered
(20 responses)- A15% (3)
- B75% (15)
- C5% (1)
- D5% (1)
Why each option
The project manager should collaborate with the team to find alternative solutions when a vendor issue threatens delivery, even if design activities are ahead of schedule.
Informing the team to proceed at a more relaxed pace would exacerbate the potential delay caused by the vendor issue and is not a proactive solution to a critical risk.
When a critical vendor deliverable is at risk, the project manager should proactively engage the project team to brainstorm and identify alternative options or mitigation strategies to ensure the project can still meet its planned delivery objectives.
Assigning internal team members to work for the vendor is generally not a viable or appropriate solution, as it assumes the vendor's resource problem can be solved by external staff and raises contractual and operational issues.
Discussing longer hours as a primary solution before exploring other options can lead to burnout and doesn't address the root cause of the vendor's resource shortage, nor is it the first step in risk mitigation.
Concept tested: Risk response planning and team collaboration
Source: https://www.pmi.org/pmbok-guide-standards/foundational/pmbok
Topics
Community Discussion
8
Ola B.Mar 31, 2026B is correct. The schedule buffer from finishing design early gives you room to collaborate with the team on alternate paths, which is exactly what agile and adaptive PMI thinking rewards. Fire up a quick whiteboard session with the team and map out the options, like crashing, fast-tracking, or partial deliveries, so everyone sees the tradeoffs for themselves.
Zlatan X.Apr 2, 2026Agree on B but the program governance angle matters here too: the buffer from early design completion is a component-level opportunity that should feed upward into interdependency management, so the whiteboard session is not just about team tradeoffs, it is about confirming whether alternate paths align with benefits realization across dependent components.
Ingrid P.Apr 16, 2026B. A trips people up because the design phase finished early, but that slack does not automatically mean you should slow the team down without first analyzing options with them. I would put a card on this one with a short recall interval, maybe two days, because the impulse to pick A or D is strong and the exam loves this scenario.
Zlatan X.Apr 16, 2026Agreed on B, and from a program governance angle the slack in one component is exactly when you check whether it can absorb risk or dependencies from a sister project before deciding to float the team.
Yusuf A.May 3, 2026B is right. My senior always says collaborate with the team before changing pace.
Ola B.May 3, 2026Good call on B, and honestly if you spin up a quick Azure DevOps board and actually try the flow, you will see why the team input piece matters so much in practice.
Anjali D.Apr 23, 2026Group consensus is B. PM and team brainstorm alternatives to protect the schedule.
Zlatan X.Mar 20, 2026Saw this exact scenario on my PMP last spring, the vendor delay is a classic schedule risk trigger but the internal team still owns their component delivery so you collaborate on alternatives rather than decelerating or burning people out. B is the governance-aligned move, I almost overthought it toward A because the design phase finished early, but the stem is testing whether you protect benefits realization through team problem-solving not passive slack.