PMP Referenced Question 21: Rebaselining a Delayed Project Through Change Control
This PMP-style scenario focuses on how a project manager should respond when a project is significantly behind schedule. PMI emphasizes that formal change requests and governance through the Change Control Board (CCB) are required when baseline adjustments are needed.
📘 Scenario
A newly assigned project manager is reviewing the project management plan and realizes that the project is running behind schedule.
❓ Question
What should the new project manager do to address this situation?
- A. Negotiate with the project sponsor immediately and establish a new project charter.
- B. Modify the project management plan and get approval from relevant stakeholders.
- C. Issue a change order to the change control board (CCB) and rebaseline the schedule.
- D. Add more resources to recover the schedule without making changes to the baseline.
✅ Correct Answer: C. Issue a change order to the change control board (CCB) and rebaseline the schedule
✅ Why C is the Best Answer
If the project is behind schedule and cannot meet the current baseline, PMI requires the project manager to:
- Submit a change request to the Change Control Board (CCB)
- Justify the impact on scope, time, and/or cost
- Upon approval, rebaseline the schedule
This approach maintains transparency, stakeholder alignment, and process compliance.
❌ Why Other Options Are Less Effective
- A. Negotiate with the sponsor and establish a new project charter
🔻 Not appropriate. The project charter is created once during initiation. It should not be revised to handle execution-level changes. - B. Modify the plan and get approval from stakeholders
🔻 Incomplete. All baseline changes must go through formal change control, not informal stakeholder updates. - D. Add more resources without changing the baseline
🔻 Risky. Adding resources may increase cost and doesn’t formally reflect the revised delivery strategy. Changes must be documented and approved.
📌 Key Takeaways
- Baselines cannot be changed without formal change control
- The CCB reviews and approves changes to the schedule baseline
- Project charters are not revised to handle execution deviations
PMP candidates must understand that changes to the project baseline require formal approval through the integrated change control process. Rebaselining is not a casual decision and must be managed according to PMI standards.