pmi PFMP Exam Questions
Questions for the PFMP were updated on : Dec 01 ,2025
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Question 1
After the stakeholder analysis is complete, a best practice is to put stakeholders into a matrix to
develop a communications management strategy. A simple but useful approach is to set it up to
show:
- A. Level of authority and level of interest
- B. Level of authority and level of involvement
- C. Level of influence and level of impact
- D. Level of influence and level of interest
Answer:
D
Question 2
Each time the Portfolio Governance Group meets the goal is to review the existing components and
any that are proposed to ensure the portfolio has the best mix to attain strategic objectives. As the
portfolio manager, you find these meetings, if facilitated accordingly, are effective decision-making
sessions. However, you tend to have open issues after every meeting. These open issues:
- A. Should be tracked in an issue register
- B. Are managed as described in the charter
- C. Are considered portfolio process assets
- D. Require an owner to manage them until they are closed
Answer:
C
Question 3
Various people are responsible for communications to different stakeholder groups, both internal
and external to the organization. These delegations of authority are:
- A. Organizational process assets
- B. Contained in the portfolio performance plan
- C. A section in the portfolio communication management plan
- D. Portfolio process assets
Answer:
D
Question 4
While there are a number of recommended contents of the portfolio strategic plan, a guiding
principle is to:
- A. Document assumptions and constraints
- B. Recognize stakeholder risk tolerances
- C. Recognize the portfolio will evolve through progressive elaboration
- D. Define the portfolio vision and objectives to align with organizational strategy
Answer:
D
Question 5
While your organization maintains a decision register after each meeting of the Portfolio Review
Board, this register only notes decisions that are made when a component is added to the portfolio
or if the Board terminates a component. If the component is terminated, the reason for the
termination is not listed. Also if a proposed component is not approved, the reason is not listed. It is
evident this register is lacking in its usefulness, which means it requires updating as it is:
- A. In the portfolio management plan
- B. A portfolio process asset
- C. An organizational process asset
- D. Part of the governance model
Answer:
B
Question 6
Each year, you update the portfolio roadmap so people within the organization can see component
status, interdependencies, constraints, and business value, among other things. This year, however,
two major programs in the portfolio were cancelled as they were government contracts, and the
government lacked funds to complete them. Your management then had to reduce staffing. These
two programs had dependencies with other components in the portfolio. This means that:
- A. The other components may need to be cancelled
- B. The proposed benefits from the other components require analysis to see if they can be realized and sustained
- C. The value measurement criteria for portfolio components require updates
- D. The overall value of the portfolio is affected adversely
Answer:
D
Question 7
One key artifact to review as the portfolio communications management plan is prepared is the:
- A. Portfolio management plan as it shows all elements in it have communications requirements
- B. Portfolio performance plan as it sets forth needed reports and their frequency
- C. Portfolio strategic plan since it shows the need for strategic alignment
- D. Portfolio benefits realization plan to determine reports on progress in benefit realization, transition, and sustainment
Answer:
A
Question 8
You want to ensure that the Portfolio Review Board is able to make key decisions at each meeting. As
the portfolio manager, you and your staff are responsible for scheduling the meetings, providing the
agenda, taking minutes, tracking open issues, and documenting and communicating decisions that
are made to key stakeholders. Before each meeting, you feel it is a best practice to:
- A. Evaluate if the benefits of the portfolio are aligned with organizational strategy
- B. Provide information about the status of each component of the portfolio
- C. Use a balanced scorecard approach to show contribution to strategy
- D. Provide a 'traffic light' approach to show components by category
Answer:
A
Question 9
As you focus on managing the value pf the portfolio, you find that portfolio variance/alert reports are
helpful. Assume you have been using a 'traffic light' format as it is easy to prepare, but an objective is
to:
- A. Add in blue to show completed components
- B. Show dependencies between components with a different color
- C. Set it up to show the organizational value areas in the company
- D. Use a standardized format across components
Answer:
D
Question 10
ecause your company's Portfolio Review Board consists of the Directors of its five business units and
is chaired by the CEO, the meetings tend to be contentious as there is limited funding available to
authorize all the proposed programs and projects. Dissension also is the norm if resources are
reallocated from one business unit to another. As a result, the CEO:
- A. Strives to use consensus to make decisions, but this approach rarely is effective
- B. Decided to use an outside facilitator when meetings are held
- C. Uses multi-voting and makes the final decision
- D. Often uses a Delphi approach
Answer:
B
Question 11
Working to prepare the communications plan, a best practice to follow is to use the roadmap. By
doing so, it:
- A. Shows the overall portfolio timeline, useful for determining the frequency of reporting
- B. Provides information about interdependencies that may affect objectives
- C. Emphasizes milestones and the timing of key benefits
- D. Shows applicable constraints
Answer:
B
Question 12
Assume you are the portfolio manager for a telecommunications company. Your company was about
to launch a new and easy to use smart phone with more features than any existing phones on the
market at a lower price. However, although the phone was due to market in five days, the Federal
Communications Commission issued today a regulation that would make your new phone not
available for use in airplanes. Thus additional work must be done, and your executives are wondering
whether a new phone should be developed for this new feature. You are ensuring that if a new
phone is developed, or if the almost completed product is not to be marketed, there is still alignment
to the organization's strategy. As you complete an analysis of alternatives, you also should ensure
results of the analysis are reflected in the:
- A. Benefits realization plan
- B. Portfolio process assets
- C. Portfolio roadmap
- D. Portfolio performance plan
Answer:
B
Question 13
Review the following graphic. Assume now your portfolio is only 12% likely to meet is target of
$41,000. Your Portfolio Review Board is dissatisfied in your management of the value of the overall
portfolio. You explain the current mix of components is too risk adverse, and additional investment is
required. The Board Chair then wants the needed investment to have a 75% likelihood, and you state
it is:
- A. $100,000
- B. $50,000
- C. $125,000
- D. $65,000
Answer:
B
Question 14
Assume you work in a weak matrix structure in your pharmaceutical company in which most of the
program and project managers are coordinators, and most of the staff that supports them are in
functional organizations. On some high priority programs, staff may be dedicated to the program full
time for a short time period; however, operational work often takes precedence especially in
manufacturing. The demand for some of the pharmaceutical products often outpaces the available
supply, and shelf life is short. These fluctuations of resources then:
- A. Require use of resource smoothing
- B. Led to the development of resource heuristics as to how best to manage the portfolio
- C. Require sign-offs from functional managers on the portfolio charter concerning resource availability
- D. Impact the availability of the work managed within the portfolio
Answer:
D
Question 15
Your online ordering company wants to add a component to its portfolio that its sponsor believes will
outdistance the competition, but it has risks and also will be subject to regulatory approval. The
purpose is to use parachutes to deliver the merchandise ordered through small helicopters so the
recipients receive their orders within three hours of the on line purchase. As the portfolio manager
you recognize this component is a major change and will require resources if it is approved. You are
now performing change management using a change structure that:
- A. Requires a change request
- B. Facilitates impact analysis
- C. Needs to assess dependencies
- D. Requires an update to the roadmap
Answer:
B