PMP · Question #932
A team is about to close a deployment and is waiting to receive critical information from the customer. The customer continues to postpone sending information, which is consequently delaying the…
The correct answer is D. Received all key information ahead of time. To prevent delays caused by pending customer information, the project manager should have proactively obtained all necessary key information well in advance of the deployment phase. This emphasizes the importance of upfront planning and requirement gathering.
Question
A team is about to close a deployment and is waiting to receive critical information from the customer. The customer continues to postpone sending information, which is consequently delaying the deployment. What should the project manager have done to prevent the delay?
Options
- ADelegated the task to the product owner
- BAsked the team to use the sample data
- CEngaged the sponsor and sought their support
- DReceived all key information ahead of time
How the community answered
(28 responses)- A4% (1)
- B11% (3)
- C4% (1)
- D82% (23)
Why each option
To prevent delays caused by pending customer information, the project manager should have proactively obtained all necessary key information well in advance of the deployment phase. This emphasizes the importance of upfront planning and requirement gathering.
Delegating the task to the product owner shifts responsibility but doesn't prevent the initial delay caused by the lack of information itself.
Using sample data might allow the team to proceed, but it carries the risk of rework or failure if the sample data does not accurately reflect the final customer information.
Engaging the sponsor for support is a reactive measure to resolve an existing delay, not a proactive action to prevent it in the first place.
Proactively receiving all key information ahead of time is a preventative measure that identifies and mitigates potential dependencies and bottlenecks early in the project lifecycle. This ensures the team has what it needs to proceed without waiting on external stakeholders during critical phases.
Concept tested: Proactive dependency management and requirement gathering
Topics
Community Discussion
5
Viktor S.Jul 3, 2026D. PMI loves prevention over reaction, and "have the critical info before you need it" is the textbook upfront planning move here. C is the trap because escalating to the sponsor is reactive cleanup after the delay already happened, not something that would have prevented it.
Bao N.Jul 5, 2026D is right but C is the tempting trap when the delay is already happening.
Orla P.Jul 5, 2026D is the right call because the question asks what the PM should have done to prevent the delay, which points you upstream to planning and preparation. Getting all key information ahead of time is a classic closure best practice, so you are not stuck chasing a customer at the finish line. C sounds tempting but engaging the sponsor is reactive, not preventive. I had almost this exact scenario on my exam last spring and initially leaned toward C because it felt like escalation was the move, but the word "prevent" in the stem is the giveaway that you need to look at what should have happened earlier in the process
Toby R.Jul 5, 2026Just sat for the exam last month and got a near-identical scenario. The trick is the phrase "have done to prevent" which points you toward proactive planning, not escalation. D is correct because the PM should have secured all critical inputs before deployment started, not after the delay happened. C is the trap since engaging the sponsor sounds like the right move when a customer stalls, but that is a reactive fix, not a prevention step. Does anyone know if the PMI materials actually specify a timeline for when customer-provided data should be collected during project planning, or is it just assumed to
Viktor S.Jul 7, 2026Agree on D, and yes the PMBOK is vague on exact timing, but the principle is that external dependencies get locked into the schedule as milestones with dates, so the collection point is whatever you negotiated and baselined, not some generic planning phase.