One of the most interesting aspects of a project is that every project has multiple stakeholders and each stakeholder group acts according to their own objectives. Identifying all the right stakeholders and engaging stakeholders early and often and managing the continuous communication with stakeholders are critical to the success of both the project manager and the project: Stakeholder satisfaction is at the core of project success. The four processes within Project Stakeholder Management emphasize capturing and maintaining stakeholder interest and keeping the stakeholders and what they value clearly on the project manager radar screen.

The 27 practice questions in this chapter are mapped to the style and frequency of question types you will see on the CAPM exam.

Q QUESTIONS

1.   Which process results in the initial creation of a project stakeholder register?

A.   Identify Stakeholders

B.   Manage Stakeholder Engagement

C.   Monitor Stakeholder Engagement

D.   Plan Stakeholder Management

2.   Which process group contains the Identify Stakeholders process?

A.   Initiating

B.   Planning

C.   Executing

D.   Monitoring and Controlling

3.   Which Project Stakeholder Management process has the goal of working with stakeholders to meet their needs and expectations?

A.   Identify Stakeholders

B.   Manage Stakeholder Engagement

C.   Monitor Stakeholder Engagement

D.   Plan Stakeholder Management

4.   Which process puts emphasis on communicating with stakeholders?

A.   Identify Stakeholders

B.   Manage Stakeholder Engagement

C.   Monitor Stakeholder Engagement

D.   Plan Stakeholder Management

5.   Which of the following is a true statement regarding the Project Stakeholder Management processes?

A.   The processes are carried out independent of one another.

B.   All of the processes focus on communication with stakeholders.

C.   All of the processes are carried out in the Initiating Process Group.

D.   The processes overlap and interact with one another.

6.   Which project document is completed just before the process of Identify Stakeholders takes place?

A.   Business case

B.   Project charter

C.   Project plan

D.   Stakeholder register

7.   What is the goal of developing approaches to involve stakeholders in the Plan Stakeholder Engagement process?

A.   Base the approach on project goals.

B.   Base the approach on the project sponsor’s goals and objectives.

C.   Base the approach on stakeholder needs and expectations.

D.   Base the approach on the project team’s needs of the stakeholders.

8.   Which two processes require that the Project Charter be completed first?

A.   Identify Stakeholders and Plan Stakeholder Engagement

B.   Plan Stakeholder Engagement and Manage Stakeholder Engagement

C.   Manage Stakeholder Engagement and Monitor Stakeholder Engagement

D.   Plan Stakeholder Engagement and Monitor Stakeholder Engagement

9.   Which Project Stakeholder Management process sets ground rules as one of its tools and techniques?

A.   Identify Stakeholders

B.   Manage Stakeholder Engagement

C.   Monitor Stakeholder Engagement

D.   Plan Stakeholder Management

10.   Which Project Stakeholder Management process creates work performance information as an output?

A.   Identify Stakeholders

B.   Manage Stakeholder Engagement

C.   Monitor Stakeholder Engagement

D.   Plan Stakeholder Management

11.   Questionnaires, surveys, brainstorming, and benchmarking are examples of which technique?

A.   Expert judgment

B.   Data gathering

C.   Data analysis

D.   Decision-making

12.   If you are identifying the underlying reasons why project stakeholders are not engaged in the project, what type of technique and which technique are you using?

A.   Expert judgment – Delphi

B.   Data gathering – Surveys

C.   Data analysis – Root-cause analysis

D.   Data representation – Stakeholder engagement assessment matrix

13.   If you are allocating stakeholders into categories of unaware, resistant, neutral, supportive, or leading, which technique type and which technique are you using?

A.   Expert judgment – Delphi

B.   Data gathering – Surveys

C.   Data analysis – Root-cause analysis

D.   Data representation – Stakeholder engagement assessment matrix

14.   If you are using work performance data and updating the issue log project document while clarifying and resolving issues identified by stakeholders, which process are you carrying out?

A.   Identify Stakeholders

B.   Manage Stakeholder Engagement

C.   Monitor Stakeholder Engagement

D.   Plan Stakeholder Management

15.   In an adaptive environment using the processes of Project Stakeholder Management, which stakeholder roles often exchange information in a co-creative way?

A.   Client, user, and developer

B.   Project manager, business analyst, and QA manager

C.   Project sponsor, project manager, and QA manager

D.   Project sponsor, the PMO, and the project manager

16.   Which technique describes classes of stakeholders based on assessments of their level of authority, urgency, and legitimacy?

A.   Stakeholder cube

B.   Salience model

C.   Directions of influence

D.   Prioritization

17.   What is the recommended project size for working with the power/interest, power/influence, and impact/influence grids?

A.   Small projects

B.   Medium projects

C.   Large projects

D.   All projects

18.   Which project document contains any constraints associated with specific stakeholders and interacting with them?

A.   Assumption log

B.   Issue log

C.   Risk register

D.   Stakeholder register

19.   Which of the following describes the influence of stakeholders on the work of the project if the stakeholder group is the project team?

A.   Upward

B.   Downward

C.   Outward

D.   Sideward

20.   If you classify a stakeholder’s engagement as “leading,” what is true of this stakeholder?

A.   The stakeholder is unaware of the project and potential impacts.

B.   The stakeholder is unsupportive of the project work or the project outcomes.

C.   The stakeholder is aware of the project and supportive of project work and outcomes.

D.   The stakeholder is actively engaged in ensuring the project is a success.

21.   Which of the following interpersonal and team skills is used to understand power relationships within and around the project?

A.   Conflict management

B.   Cultural awareness

C.   Observation/conversation

D.   Political awareness

22.   Why should a project manager put emphasis on the Project Stakeholder Management processes?

A.   To integrate the team with the stakeholder groups

B.   To allow the stakeholders to guide the project decisions

C.   To increase the possibility that stakeholders will attend to project details

D.   To increase the chance of project success

23.   What is recommended in order to understand stakeholder needs and expectations, issue management, and overall stakeholder engagement in a project?

A.   Fully developed WBS

B.   Including a business analyst in the Executing phase of a project

C.   Continuous communication

D.   Incorporating a dedicated testing group during Monitoring and Controlling

24.   What is a key benefit of the Identify Stakeholders process?

A.   Enables the project team to identify the appropriate level of engagement for each stakeholder group

B.   Enables the project manager to assign the project team to the appropriate stakeholder group

C.   Enables the project sponsor to visualize the best way to allocate resources to the project

D.   Enables the project manager to design an effective matrix management approach

25.   Which project process or document is updated iteratively to coincide with updates needed as a result of the work taking place in the project?

A.   Modifying the project charter

B.   Updating the procurement contracts

C.   Tailoring the SWOT analysis

D.   Identifying project stakeholders

26.   When should the process of stakeholder identification engagement start in order to increase the chance of project success?

A.   As soon as possible after approving the project plan

B.   As soon as possible after approving the project charter

C.   As soon as possible after completing the RACI chart

D.   As soon as possible after completing the risk register

27.   Which project document is initiated then updated with details on project participants, including their expectations?

A.   Requirements documentation

B.   Stakeholder register

C.   Risk register

D.   Project team assignments

QUICK ANSWER KEY

1. A

2. A

3. B

4. B

5. D

6. B

7. C

8. A

9. B

10. C

11. B

12. C

13. D

14. C

15. A

16. B

17. A

18. A

19. B

20. D

21. D

22. D

23. C

24. A

25. D

26. B

27. B

A ANSWERS

1.   Which process results in the initial creation of a project stakeholder register?

A.   Identify Stakeholders

B.   Manage Stakeholder Engagement

C.   Monitor Stakeholder Engagement

D.   Plan Stakeholder Management

  A. The stakeholder register is an output of the Identify Stakeholders process.

  B, C, and D are incorrect. Although the stakeholder register may be updated through the life of a project, its initial creation takes place in Identify Stakeholders, which is part of the Initiating process group.

2.   Which process group contains the Identify Stakeholders process?

A.   Initiating

B.   Planning

C.   Executing

D.   Monitoring and Controlling

  A. The Identify Stakeholders process is part of the Initiating process group directly after Develop Project Charter.

  B, C, and D. The Identify Stakeholders process appears as part of the Initiating process group. Even though it is not shown in Planning, Executing, or Monitoring and Controlling, the Identify Stakeholders process is considered to overlap across the entire project and all process groups.

3.   Which Project Stakeholder Management process has the goal of working with stakeholders to meet their needs and expectations?

A.   Identify Stakeholders

B.   Manage Stakeholder Engagement

C.   Monitor Stakeholder Engagement

D.   Plan Stakeholder Management

  B. Manage Stakeholder Engagement is about working with stakeholders to meet their needs and expectations.

  A, C, and D are incorrect. A is incorrect because Identify Stakeholders focuses on identifying project stakeholders iteratively. C is incorrect because Monitor Stakeholder Engagement focuses on understanding relationships and tailoring engagement approaches. D is incorrect because Plan Stakeholder Management focuses on developing involvement strategies for stakeholders.

4.   Which process puts emphasis on communicating with stakeholders?

A.   Identify Stakeholders

B.   Manage Stakeholder Engagement

C.   Monitor Stakeholder Engagement

D.   Plan Stakeholder Management

  B. Manage Stakeholder Engagement is about communicating throughout the project with stakeholders.

  A, C, and D are incorrect. A is incorrect because Identify Stakeholders focuses on identifying project stakeholders iteratively. C is incorrect because Monitor Stakeholder Engagement focuses on understanding relationships and tailoring engagement approaches. D is incorrect because Plan Stakeholder Management focuses on developing involvement strategies for stakeholders.

5.   Which of the following is a true statement regarding the Project Stakeholder Management processes?

A.   The processes are carried out independent of one another.

B.   All of the processes focus on communication with stakeholders.

C.   All of the processes are carried out in the Initiating Process Group.

D.   The processes overlap and interact with one another.

  D is correct because even though each process appears once in the PMBOK Guide and they are presented as discrete processes with defined interfaces, in practice, the processes overlap and interact.

  A, B, and C are incorrect. A is incorrect because the processes overlap. B is incorrect because Manage Stakeholder Engagement is about communicating throughout the project with stakeholders. C is incorrect because only Identify Stakeholders takes place in the Initiating Process Group.

6.   Which project document is completed just before the process of Identify Stakeholders takes place?

A.   Business case

B.   Project charter

C.   Project plan

D.   Stakeholder register

  B. As soon as the project charter is complete, the process of Identify Stakeholders should start.

  A, C, and D are incorrect. The process of Identify Stakeholders is dependent on the project charter being complete in the Initiating process group. A is incorrect because the business case precedes the project charter. C is incorrect because the project plan will not be complete until into the Planning process group. D is incorrect because the stakeholder register is started after the Identify Stakeholders process.

7.   What is the goal of developing approaches to involve stakeholders in the Plan Stakeholder Engagement process?

A.   Base the approach on project goals.

B.   Base the approach on the project sponsor’s goals and objectives.

C.   Base the approach on stakeholder needs and expectations.

D.   Base the approach on the project team’s needs of the stakeholders.

  C. The goal of the Plan Stakeholder Engagement process focuses on stakeholder needs and expectations.

  A, B, and D are incorrect. Stakeholder needs and expectations are the focus of Plan Stakeholder Engagement and not the goals of the project, sponsor, or project team.

8.   Which two processes require that the Project Charter be completed first?

A.   Identify Stakeholders and Plan Stakeholder Engagement

B.   Plan Stakeholder Engagement and Manage Stakeholder Engagement

C.   Manage Stakeholder Engagement and Monitor Stakeholder Engagement

D.   Plan Stakeholder Engagement and Monitor Stakeholder Engagement

  A. Identify Stakeholders and Plan Stakeholder Engagement both have the project charter as an input.

  B, C, and D are incorrect. Identify Stakeholders and Plan Stakeholder Engagement both have the project charter as an input, whereas neither Manage Stakeholder Engagement nor Monitor Stakeholder Engagement have the project charter as an input.

9.   Which Project Stakeholder Management process sets ground rules as one of its tools and techniques?

A.   Identify Stakeholders

B.   Manage Stakeholder Engagement

C.   Monitor Stakeholder Engagement

D.   Plan Stakeholder Management

  B. The Manage Stakeholder Engagement process has ground rules as a tool and technique. Ground rules set the expected behavior for team members relative to stakeholder engagement.

  A, C, and D are incorrect. Only the Manage Stakeholder Engagement process has ground rules as a tool and technique. In fact, no other process mentions ground rules as a technique.

10.   Which Project Stakeholder Management process creates work performance information as an output?

A.   Identify Stakeholders

B.   Manage Stakeholder Engagement

C.   Monitor Stakeholder Engagement

D.   Plan Stakeholder Management

  C. The Monitor Stakeholder Engagement process takes work performance data as an input and transforms it to create work performance information. Examples include status of deliverables and implementation status for change requests.

  A, B, and D are incorrect. Only the Monitor Stakeholder Engagement process in the Plan Stakeholder Management process group creates work performance information.

11.   Questionnaires, surveys, brainstorming, and benchmarking are examples of which technique?

A.   Expert judgment

B.   Data gathering

C.   Data analysis

D.   Decision-making

  B. Questionnaires, surveys, brainstorming, and benchmarking demonstrate data-gathering techniques useful in many process groups.

  A, C, and D are incorrect. A is incorrect because expert judgment is not strictly a data-gathering technique and is used in every process in all process groups. C and D are incorrect because data analysis and decision-making take place after data-gathering techniques like questionnaires, surveys, brainstorming, and benchmarking.

12.   If you are identifying the underlying reasons why project stakeholders are not engaged in the project, what type of technique and which technique are you using?

A.   Expert judgment – Delphi

B.   Data gathering – Surveys

C.   Data analysis – Root-cause analysis

D.   Data representation – Stakeholder engagement assessment matrix

  C is correct. Identifying the underlying reasons for a problem is called root-cause analysis and is a part of data analysis.

  A, B, and D are incorrect. The question asks about identifying the underlying causes for a problem, which is root-cause analysis and is not expert judgment, data gathering, or data representation.

13.   If you are allocating stakeholders into categories of unaware, resistant, neutral, supportive, or leading, which technique type and which technique are you using?

A.   Expert judgment – Delphi

B.   Data gathering – Surveys

C.   Data analysis – Root-cause analysis

D.   Data representation – Stakeholder engagement assessment matrix

  D. The data representation stakeholder engagement assessment matrix tracks five stakeholder engagement levels with five categories: unaware, resistant, neutral, supportive, and leading. These categories are tracked to compare the current engagement level of the stakeholder and the desired engagement level.

  A, B, and C are incorrect. A is incorrect because the Delphi expert judgment technique is about seeking varying opinions on a topic. B is incorrect because the data-gathering technique of surveys is about collecting raw data on a topic. C is incorrect because the data analysis technique of root-cause analysis is about finding underlying issues in a problem being studied.

14.   If you are using work performance data and updating the issue log project document while clarifying and resolving issues identified by stakeholders, which process are you carrying out?

A.   Identify Stakeholders

B.   Manage Stakeholder Engagement

C.   Monitor Stakeholder Engagement

D.   Plan Stakeholder Management

  C. Work performance data is an input to the Monitor Stakeholder Engagement process, and outputs of the process include work performance information and project management plan updates.

  A, B, and D are incorrect. None of the processes of Identify Stakeholders, Manage Stakeholder Engagement, and Plan Stakeholder Management include work performance data as an input and work performance information as an output.

15.   In an adaptive environment using the processes of Project Stakeholder Management, which stakeholder roles often exchange information in a co-creative way?

A.   Client, user, and developer

B.   Project manager, business analyst, and QA manager

C.   Project sponsor, project manager, and QA manager

D.   Project sponsor, the PMO, and the project manager

  A. Agile teams rely on the very close interactions between the client, users, and developers to co-create a solution that deploys a workable product quickly.

  B, C, and D are incorrect. The project sponsor, the project manager, and the QA manager are not the key collaborators in an agile team; rather, the focus is on the co-creative process between the client, the users, and the developers.

16.   Which technique describes classes of stakeholders based on assessments of their level of authority, urgency, and legitimacy?

A.   Stakeholder cube

B.   Salience model

C.   Directions of influence

D.   Prioritization

  B. The salience model allows the analysis of a stakeholder based on the stakeholder’s level of authority or ability to influence the outcomes of a project, as well as their need for immediacy and their appropriate involvement (legitimacy) in the project.

  A, C, and D are incorrect. The techniques of stakeholder cube, directions of influence, and prioritization do not directly examine the three variables of power, urgency, and legitimacy like the salience model.

17.   What is the recommended project size for working with the power/interest, power/influence, and impact/influence grids?

A.   Small projects

B.   Medium projects

C.   Large projects

D.   All projects

  A. The recommendation for the 2 × 2 matrix approach of power/interest, power/influence, or impact/influence grids is most appropriate in small projects where there is not a large number of stakeholder groups with complex relationships between the groups and the project.

  B, C, and D are incorrect. Small projects with simple relationships between stakeholder groups and the project are best served with the 2 × 2 matrix approach of power/interest, power/influence, or impact/influence grids.

18.   Which project document contains any constraints associated with specific stakeholders and interacting with them?

A.   Assumption log

B.   Issue log

C.   Risk register

D.   Stakeholder register

  A. The assumption log is where any assumptions or constraints related to a stakeholder group are tracked, which provides a basis for understanding things to be aware of and how to interact with the stakeholder group.

  B, C, and D are incorrect. B is incorrect because the issue log tracks the status of project issues. C is incorrect because the risk register identifies project risks and their mitigation strategies. D is incorrect because the stakeholder register tracks identification information, assessment information, and classifications of stakeholders on a project.

19.   Which of the following describes the influence of stakeholders on the work of the project if the stakeholder group is the project team?

A.   Upward

B.   Downward

C.   Outward

D.   Sideward

  B. In the direction of influence model, the classification of downward describes the team or team specialists.

  A, C, and D are incorrect. A is incorrect because in the direction of influence model, upward describes senior management of the performing organization or customer organization, sponsor, and steering committee. C is incorrect because outward describes stakeholder groups and their representatives. D is incorrect because sideward describes peers of the project manager.

20.   If you classify a stakeholder’s engagement as “leading,” what is true of this stakeholder?

A.   The stakeholder is unaware of the project and potential impacts.

B.   The stakeholder is unsupportive of the project work or the project outcomes.

C.   The stakeholder is aware of the project and supportive of project work and outcomes.

D.   The stakeholder is actively engaged in ensuring the project is a success.

  D. In the stakeholder engagement assessment matrix, the “leading” designation means that the stakeholder is aware of the project and the project’s potential impacts and is actively engaged in positioning the project for success.

  A, B, and C are incorrect. A is incorrect because a classification of “unaware” means the stakeholder is unaware of the project and potential impacts. B is incorrect because a classification of “resistant” means the stakeholder is unsupportive of the project work or the project outcomes. C is incorrect because a classification of “neutral” means the stakeholder is aware of the project and supportive of project work and outcomes.

21.   Which of the following interpersonal and team skills is used to understand power relationships within and around the project?

A.   Conflict management

B.   Cultural awareness

C.   Observation/conversation

D.   Political awareness

  D. Political awareness of the project environment is possible only through the understanding of power relationships within and around the project.

  A, B, and C are incorrect. A is incorrect because conflict management deals with a conflict that has surfaced and must be dealt with. B is incorrect because cultural awareness speaks to understanding the different operating styles of organizations. C is incorrect because observation/conversation are about staying in touch with stakeholders during a project.

22.   Why should a project manager put emphasis on the Project Stakeholder Management processes?

A.   To integrate the team with the stakeholder groups

B.   To allow the stakeholders to guide the project decisions

C.   To increase the possibility that stakeholders will attend to project details

D.   To increase the chance of project success

  D. The ability of the project manager and the project team to identify and engage all project stakeholders can mean the difference between project success and project failure.

  A, B, and C are incorrect. A is incorrect because integrating the team with the stakeholder groups is not the goal. B is incorrect because allowing stakeholders to guide the project decisions is not the goal. C is incorrect because increasing the possibility that stakeholders will attend to project details is not the goal, although this could be a side effect of good stakeholder management. Stakeholder involvement is critical to project success, and that’s why a good project manager emphasizes it.

23.   What is recommended in order to understand stakeholder needs and expectations, issue management, and overall stakeholder engagement in a project?

A.   Fully developed WBS

B.   Including a business analyst in the Executing phase of a project

C.   Continuous communication

D.   Incorporating a dedicated testing group during Monitoring and Controlling

  C. Continuous communication is the key to effective stakeholder engagement, including knowing their needs, expectations, and issues and being able to gauge their level of engagement.

  A, B, and D are incorrect. A is incorrect because a fully developed WBS will help manage the project but not necessarily the stakeholder engagement. B is incorrect because including a business analyst in all phases (not just Executing) will help the project. D is incorrect because incorporating a dedicated testing group during Monitoring and Controlling may not be appropriate, given the size of the project.

24.   What is a key benefit of the Identify Stakeholders process?

A.   Enables the project team to identify the appropriate level of engagement for each stakeholder group

B.   Enables the project manager to assign the project team to the appropriate stakeholder group

C.   Enables the project sponsor to visualize the best way to allocate resources to the project

D.   Enables the project manager to design an effective matrix management approach

  A. Identifying and analyzing stakeholders’ needs allows the team to determine and abide by the appropriate level of engagement for each stakeholder group.

  B, C, and D are incorrect. B is incorrect because a project manager does not assign project team members to stakeholders. C is incorrect because the project sponsor does not allocate project resources. D is incorrect because even though a project exists in a matrix organization or a functional organization, the project manager does not design either.

25.   Which project process or document is updated iteratively to coincide with updates needed as a result of the work taking place in the project?

A.   Modifying the project charter

B.   Updating the procurement contracts

C.   Tailoring the SWOT analysis

D.   Identifying project stakeholders

  D. The stakeholder register is included in the set of project documents for the Project Stakeholder Management processes as an input that also is shown as project document outputs.

  A, B, and C are incorrect. A is incorrect because the project charter is not updated after it is created for the Initiating process. B is incorrect because procurement contracts would not be updated as a part of the Project Stakeholder Management processes. C is incorrect because a SWOT analysis is a type of analysis and is not an input or output of the processes.

26.   When should the process of stakeholder identification engagement start in order to increase the chance of project success?

A.   As soon as possible after approving the project plan

B.   As soon as possible after approving the project charter

C.   As soon as possible after completing the RACI chart

D.   As soon as possible after completing the risk register

  B. As soon as the project charter is complete, the process of identifying project stakeholders should begin.

  A, C, and D are incorrect. The project plan includes the initial stakeholder list, and the stakeholder list is needed to create the RACI chart and the risk register.

27.   Which project document is initiated and updated with details on project participants, including their expectations?

A.   Requirements documentation

B.   Stakeholder register

C.   Risk register

D.   Project team assignments

  B. Significant changes in the organization or wider stakeholder community would lead the project manager to update the project stakeholder documents such as the engagement plan and the stakeholder register.

  A, C, and D are incorrect. Re-planning the project is too extreme an action relative to a change in stakeholders for the typical project, and creating new stakeholder documents is unnecessary if they already exist and can be updated. The project charter is not updated after the Initiating process completes.