Project Management Professional (PMP)® Examination Content OutlineProcessHard
A project manager is leading a project to develop a new mobile application. During the execution phase, a critical defect is reported by the quality assurance team: the application crashes intermittently when users attempt to upload photos. The project manager immediately convenes a meeting with the development and QA teams. After investigation, they identify that the issue is due to a memory leak in a third-party image processing library. What should be the project manager's NEXT step after identifying the root cause?
- AWork with the team to develop and evaluate potential solutions to resolve the memory leak.
- BInstruct the QA team to continue testing other features while the development team works on a fix.
- CInitiate a change request to update the project schedule and budget to absorb the defect fix.
- DEscalate the issue to senior management, requesting approval for a project extension.
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: A. Work with the team to develop and evaluate potential solutions to resolve the memory leak.
After identifying the root cause of a critical defect, the immediate next step is to develop and evaluate potential solutions. This involves brainstorming options, assessing their feasibility, cost, and impact, and then selecting the most appropriate fix. Escalate or change request might be necessary later, but only after understanding the solution space.
Why the other options are wrong
- B. While QA can continue other tasks, the priority is to address the critical defect by finding a solution, not just waiting for one.
- C. A change request is likely needed, but first, the team needs to determine what the fix entails and its impact.
- D. Escalation is premature without a clear understanding of potential solutions and their impact.
Defect Management
The process of identifying, tracking, prioritizing, and resolving defects or errors found in project deliverables or processes.
- Involves defect identification, logging, analysis, resolution, and verification.
- Aims to ensure product quality and meet requirements.
- Often integrated with change control and quality assurance processes.
Memory trick: Find the bug, fix the bug, verify the fix.