PMP · Question #959
A project team is finishing a sprint to deliver a key deliverable. The project team tells the project manager that the deliverable does not meet the agreed project standards set out by the customer an
The correct answer is A. Agree with the team that the best way forward is to improve the quality of the deliverable to meet. When the project team identifies that a deliverable does not meet customer standards, the project manager should support the team's professional judgment to improve quality, even if it introduces a delay.
Question
A project team is finishing a sprint to deliver a key deliverable. The project team tells the project manager that the deliverable does not meet the agreed project standards set out by the customer and insists on reworking the deliverable to meet the standards. This will delay the project by two weeks. What should the project manager do?
Options
- AAgree with the team that the best way forward is to improve the quality of the deliverable to meet
- BLet the team rework the deliverable and delay the delivery of the project by two weeks.
- CAsk the team to move forward with the deliverable with the best possible quality without extending
- DMeet with the sponsor to highlight the poor quality standards and ask for two weeks of additional
How the community answered
(27 responses)- A78% (21)
- B11% (3)
- C7% (2)
- D4% (1)
Why each option
When the project team identifies that a deliverable does not meet customer standards, the project manager should support the team's professional judgment to improve quality, even if it introduces a delay.
The team's professional assessment that the deliverable fails to meet agreed customer standards is critical. Prioritizing quality and customer satisfaction by agreeing to rework the deliverable, despite a delay, ensures the final product is fit for purpose and maintains the project's credibility. This decision necessitates subsequent communication with stakeholders about the delay and its rationale.
While reworking will delay the project, simply 'letting' the team do it isn't an active leadership stance; the project manager must *agree* with the decision to prioritize quality.
Pushing the team to release a substandard deliverable will lead to customer dissatisfaction and compromise project quality and integrity.
Meeting with the sponsor is an important step to communicate the situation and manage expectations, but the immediate action from the project manager should be to support the team's commitment to quality.
Concept tested: Quality Assurance and Stakeholder Expectation Management
Topics
Community Discussion
7
Luis F.Feb 22, 2026Going with A here. The team is doing the right thing by catching the quality issue before delivery, and as the PM you should support rework to meet the customer's agreed standards rather than shipping something that falls short.
Grace U.Feb 24, 2026Agreed on A, and it is also worth noting that the word verified in the stem is doing real work here, since the team has confirmed the gap rather than just suspecting it, which makes the rework decision straightforward rather than a judgment call.
Imani T.Feb 20, 2026Confirmed A on exam last month. B is tempting but PM should agree not just let it happen.
Lena V.Feb 15, 2026Confirmed A on exam last month. The team is self-identifying a quality gap against agreed standards, and agile principles support delivering working quality over hitting a date with a non-compliant deliverable. That said, does anyone know whether the exam always favors rework when the team flags a standards issue, or are there scenarios where C would be correct if the delay cost outweighs the quality gap?
Luis F.Feb 17, 2026Good catch on the agile principle Lena, but from what I have seen in practice questions, C can be correct if the quality gap is minor and the delay would cause a contractual penalty or miss a regulatory deadline, so the exam does seem to weigh business impact rather than defaulting to rework every time.
Grace U.Mar 5, 2026Saw this on my exam last month, A is right since quality standards come first.
Luis F.Mar 8, 2026A makes sense since you need the standards defined before you can enforce them, but watch out for a similar question where they ask about ongoing monitoring because that flips the answer to the option with continuous evaluation.