PMP · Question #776
A project manager is evaluating a project and realizes that its earned value (EV) shows the cost spent is higher than the value delivered. The project manager then discovers that the team has been…
The correct answer is D. Ask the team to focus on and deliver only the agreed-upon features. To correct a project where costs exceed delivered value due to unauthorized feature additions, the project manager must instruct the team to cease gold-plating and concentrate solely on delivering the formally agreed-upon features.
Question
Options
- ARequest additional budget because additional features are being added
- BAsk the product owner to add the additional features to the requirements
- CEncourage the team to continue, as this will eventually help the customer
- DAsk the team to focus on and deliver only the agreed-upon features
How the community answered
(23 responses)- A17% (4)
- B4% (1)
- C4% (1)
- D74% (17)
Why each option
To correct a project where costs exceed delivered value due to unauthorized feature additions, the project manager must instruct the team to cease gold-plating and concentrate solely on delivering the formally agreed-upon features.
Requesting additional budget for unauthorized features rewards scope creep and exacerbates the problem of costs exceeding value, rather than resolving it.
Asking the product owner to retroactively add unauthorized features to the requirements legitimizes unplanned work, undermining scope control and encouraging future gold-plating without addressing the root cause of the negative EV performance.
Encouraging the team to continue adding features, even if perceived as helpful, is known as gold-plating, which directly leads to cost and schedule overruns and negatively impacts earned value, thus worsening the current situation.
The discrepancy where cost spent is higher than value delivered, coupled with the team adding unauthorized features, indicates scope creep (gold-plating). The project manager must immediately intervene to stop this by instructing the team to focus only on the agreed-upon, defined features to control costs and align delivery with actual value.
Concept tested: Scope control and earned value management
Source: https://www.pmi.org/pmbok-guide-standards/foundational/pmbok
Topics
Community Discussion
5
Prof. SaraMay 28, 2026D is correct because those extra features are pure gold-plating, which drains budget without contractual value and explains the EV shortfall. Recall my STOP mnemonic for scope creep: Stick to the plan, Trim the extras, Own the baseline, Prevent gold-plating. The PM must immediately realign the team to the agreed-upon scope to stop the bleeding and protect the baseline. This maps directly to the PMP Domain of executing and monitoring project work, where controlling scope is non-negotiable.
Bao N.May 28, 2026D is right but the STOP mnemonic is overkill when the real exam just wants you to catch the EV vs PV gap and pick the scope control answer.
Bao N.Jun 1, 2026Got D on my exam last month, the EV angle almost made me pause but the gold plating clue is the real giveaway. A and C are traps for anyone who thinks extra work is always a good thing, and B sounds agile friendly but the team never should have deviated in the first place.
Zlatan X.Jun 3, 2026B. Scope creep drains portfolio benefits realization, so govern it through the product owner.
Prof. SaraJun 5, 2026Actually D is correct here because the question is about portfolio-level governance, not a single product. Scope creep at the portfolio level is managed through portfolio governance and change control processes, not delegated to a product owner who operates at the team or product level. Zlatan's instinct about scope creep draining benefits realization is sound, but the remedy has to match the portfolio domain.