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PMP Practice: Define Scope

Question 4 of 14 in Develop and Manage Project Scope

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Linh Trần-Nguyễn is managing a fixed-price contract to upgrade the fire suppression system across 47 hospital facilities for Santiago Fuentes-Zapata Alliance. The contract was awarded based on detailed architectural drawings and specifications provided by the client, and includes strict regulatory compliance requirements from three different government agencies. During the kickoff meeting, the client's innovation director suggests adopting an iterative approach where the team would install prototype systems in two facilities first, gather feedback from hospital staff, and then refine the design for remaining locations. The director argues this would ensure better user satisfaction. However, the project sponsor reminds everyone that the contract price was calculated based on the approved specifications, and any design changes would require formal change requests and regulatory re-approval, which typically takes 8-12 weeks per facility. The baseline schedule shows all 47 facilities must be completed within 18 months to meet a federal mandate deadline. What should Linh do?
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Correct answer: Explain that the contractual and regulatory constraints require following the approved specifications, but offer to document stakeholder feedback during installation for potential future improvements

Explanation

This scenario presents a situation where the innovation director is suggesting an approach that conflicts with fundamental project constraints. The project has a fixed-price contract based on approved specifications, strict regulatory requirements with lengthy approval cycles, and a firm deadline driven by federal mandate. These constraints make a predictive approach not just preferable but necessary. The project manager should respectfully explain why the suggested iterative approach is incompatible with the project's constraints while still demonstrating value for stakeholder input. Offering to document feedback for future improvements acknowledges the director's valid concern about user satisfaction without compromising the project's delivery approach. The closing facts—the 8-12 week regulatory re-approval timeline and the 18-month federal deadline—make it mathematically impossible to iterate on design across 47 facilities within the available time.

**Why not A:** Escalating the methodology disagreement to the project sponsor is unnecessary and abdicates the PM's responsibility. The project constraints clearly dictate a predictive approach, and the PM should be able to explain this rationale directly. The sponsor has already confirmed that contract price and regulatory re-approval timelines make iterative design changes impractical.

**Why not C:** A hybrid approach using the first two installations as learning opportunities while following approved specifications is reasonable in some contexts but misses the point. The scenario's constraints—fixed-price contract based on approved specs, 8-12 week regulatory re-approval cycles, and an 18-month federal deadline across 47 facilities—make any design iteration mathematically impossible within the available timeline.

**Why not D:** Recommending an adaptive approach with two-week sprints directly contradicts the project's fundamental constraints. A fixed-price contract calculated on approved specifications, strict regulatory compliance requiring formal re-approval for design changes, and a federal mandate deadline make iterative delivery inappropriate. This approach would violate contract terms and jeopardize the federal compliance timeline.

Key Concept

This question covers Define Scope under Develop and Manage Project Scope (Process).

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