PgMP – Strategic Alignment – Foundation-level

Question 1 of 20

1. Question

Why is it important for a program manager to understand and monitor Enterprise Environmental Factors (EEFs) continuously throughout the program life cycle?

EEFs directly determine the program's budget and cannot be changed once set

The ongoing management of a program should commit to continual monitoring of EEFs to ensure the program remains aligned with the organization's strategic objectives, since strategic goals change in response to EEFs

EEFs only need to be assessed during the initial program definition phase

EEFs are only relevant for programs operating in government or regulated industries

Question 2 of 20

2. Question

A program manager is evaluating a program’s strategic alignment by assessing regulatory constraints, social impacts, sustainability, cultural considerations, and ethical concerns. Which ECO Domain I task most closely describes this activity?

Task 1 – Perform an initial program assessment to ensure alignment with the organizational strategic plan

Task 6 – Analyze organizational and business strategies and program drivers to identify and quantify benefits

Task 8 – Evaluate program objectives relative to regulatory and legal constraints, social impacts, sustainability, cultural considerations, political climate, and ethical concerns to ensure stakeholder alignment and program deliverability

Task 9 – Obtain organizational leadership approval by presenting the program charter

Question 3 of 20

3. Question

A stakeholder asks what information the program roadmap contains. Which of the following is listed in the Standard as content typically found in the program roadmap?

Individual task assignments, durations, and resource names for each component activity

Detailed financial breakdowns showing planned versus actual cost by component

The program's complete risk register with probability and impact ratings

Strategic alignment, executive ownership, key milestones, list of components, dependencies, and benefits realization and sustainment periods

Question 4 of 20

4. Question

The organizational strategic plan has just been significantly revised due to a market disruption. The program manager must determine whether the current program remains aligned. What is the correct first step?

Immediately terminate all program components and close the program

Revisit the program business case and program charter to assess continued alignment with the revised organizational strategy

Continue the program unchanged and document the strategic change as a risk

Ask component managers to individually assess the impact on their components without program-level review

Question 5 of 20

5. Question

A program manager needs to understand what the program charter must contain. Which of the following is listed in the Standard as a key element of the program charter?

High-level risks, high-level benefits and their realization, key stakeholders, resource allocation, and provisions that tie the program to the business case

Detailed cost estimates for each work package in the program WBS

A complete risk register with all identified risks, their owners, and mitigation plans

The detailed communications matrix showing stakeholder communication frequency

Question 6 of 20

6. Question

The approved business case for a program defined a specific investment level. During execution, the program manager approves expenditure significantly beyond this level without governance review. How does the Standard characterize this action?

This is acceptable as long as the program is still delivering benefits

This is acceptable as long as the program sponsor verbally agreed to the expenditure

Any expenditure outside of the approved business case is a deviation from the strategy and represents misalignment; the Governance Framework performance domain is responsible for ensuring such deviation does not occur

This is only a concern if the total program cost exceeds 20% of the original estimate

Question 7 of 20

7. Question

What does the program business case describe in relation to intangible (or nontangible) benefits?

Intangible benefits are excluded from the business case because they cannot be measured

Intangible benefits are benefits the program intends to produce that may not be measured in units of money, such as brand awareness, regulatory compliance, or enhanced customer experience; organizations should strive to monitor them

Intangible benefits are only relevant after program closure when final results can be assessed

Intangible benefits automatically become financial benefits once the program delivers its outputs

Question 8 of 20

8. Question

Which of the following is a key characteristic that distinguishes a program manager’s role from a project manager’s role in terms of strategic alignment?

Program managers must have a thorough understanding of how the program will fulfill the portfolio and organizational strategy and possess skills to match the program with the organization's long-term vision

Program managers focus on delivering a single defined deliverable with a fixed scope

Program managers are responsible for managing individual team members' daily tasks

Program managers focus only on financial oversight and budget management

Question 9 of 20

9. Question

A program manager is describing the difference between a program’s vision and the organization’s mission to a new team member. Which of the following correctly distinguishes these two concepts?

The mission describes the reason the organization exists; the vision describes the desired future end state

The vision describes the reason the organization exists; the mission describes the desired future state

Vision and mission are interchangeable terms with no meaningful distinction

The vision is defined by the program manager; the mission is defined by the PSC

Question 10 of 20

10. Question

A program manager is conducting an environmental analysis to assess the validity of the program’s business case. Which of the following are examples of environmental analysis techniques the Standard identifies as appropriate?

Earned value analysis, Monte Carlo simulation, and critical path method

Comparative advantage analysis, feasibility studies, SWOT analysis, assumptions analysis, and historical information analysis

Responsibility assignment matrix, stakeholder register, and communications plan

Work breakdown structure, network diagram, and resource histogram

Question 11 of 20

11. Question

Enterprise Environmental Factors (EEFs) can significantly influence a program. Which of the following scenarios best illustrates the impact of an EEF on strategic alignment?

The program manager reassigns a component manager due to poor performance

The program team identifies a new risk during a component review

A change in government regulations causes the organization to revise its strategic plan, potentially requiring the program to be changed, put on hold, or canceled

The program sponsor requests additional reporting on budget performance

Question 12 of 20

12. Question

What is the purpose of conducting regular environmental assessments throughout the program life cycle?

To update the program's risk register with newly identified component-level risks

To determine whether the program budget needs to be increased

To verify that the program schedule is still on track against the original baseline

To ensure ongoing stakeholder alignment and the program's continued alignment with the organization's strategic goals and objectives as internal and external influences evolve

Question 13 of 20

13. Question

The program roadmap is being reviewed six months into program execution. A component manager argues it should not be changed because it was approved at program launch. A senior program manager disagrees. Which position is consistent with the Standard?

The component manager is correct – the roadmap is baselined at approval and must not be changed

The senior program manager is correct – the program management plan, of which the roadmap is a major component, should be continually updated in response to changes in the program's internal and external environments

The roadmap can only be changed with approval from the portfolio manager

The roadmap should only be updated at the end of each phase, not during execution

Question 14 of 20

14. Question

A stakeholder asks what the program roadmap shows. Which of the following is the most accurate description of the program roadmap?

A detailed Gantt chart showing every task and its duration across all components

A chronological representation of a program's intended direction, depicting dependencies between major milestones and decision points and reflecting the linkage between organizational strategy and program work

A financial forecast showing costs and benefits over each program phase

A document listing all risks and their mitigation strategies for the program

Question 15 of 20

15. Question

Which of the following best describes the program charter’s role in the Strategic Alignment domain?

It documents the detailed work breakdown structure for all program components

t replaces the program business case once the program is authorized

It assigns and authorizes a program manager and defines the scope and purpose of the program, linking it to organizational strategic objectives

It is only used to communicate the program direction to external stakeholders

Question 16 of 20

16. Question

The program business case has been approved by the governance authority. What happens next in the strategic alignment process?

The program manager begins developing detailed component plans

The program steering committee or designated body authorizes the program management team by means of the program charter

The program manager develops the stakeholder engagement plan

The program is immediately placed into the organization's portfolio

Question 17 of 20

17. Question

A program manager is asked to justify an organization’s investment in a new program by documenting the expected outcomes, cost-benefit analysis, and how the program supports the organizational strategy. Which document should the program manager produce?

Program charter

Program management plan

Program business case

Program scope statement

Question 18 of 20

18. Question

Which three documents are the primary outputs of the Strategic Alignment performance domain that are established during program formulation activities?

Program scope statement, program WBS, and program master schedule

Benefits realization plan, stakeholder register, and risk register

Program business case, program charter, and program management plan

Program roadmap, communications plan, and resource management plan

Question 19 of 20

19. Question

What is the primary purpose of the Strategic Alignment performance domain in program management?

To develop detailed project schedules for all program components

To establish the financial budget baseline for the program

To manage stakeholder relationships and resolve conflicts within the program

To identify program outputs and outcomes that provide benefits aligned with the organization's strategic goals and objectives

Question 20 of 20

20. Question

A program manager is preparing to present the program charter to the organizational leadership for approval. What is the primary goal of this activity according to ECO Domain I, Task 9?

To receive authorization to begin detailed project planning for each component

To obtain organizational leadership approval for the program by presenting the program charter with its high-level costs, milestone schedule, and benefits in order to receive authorization to initiate the program

To finalize the program's scope baseline and lock in all deliverables

To assign component managers and distribute the approved budget to each component