Business EnvironmentEvaluate and deliver project benefits and valueeasy
Partway through a project, the project manager is repeatedly asked to make trade-off decisions between competing options. What should the project manager use as the primary reference for judging which option best serves the organization?
- AThe detailed project schedule, since it reflects the current plan of record.
- BThe stated preferences of whichever stakeholder is most senior among those affected.
- CThe team's professional judgment about which of the options would be the cleanest and most elegant to build technically.
- DThe project's business case, which sets out the value and objectives the project exists to deliver.
Explanation
Correct answer: DThe business case states why the project exists and the value it is meant to deliver, making it the reference point for value-based trade-off decisions.
- A
- The schedule shows when work happens, not which option delivers the most value.
- B
- Deferring to seniority substitutes influence for value and can steer the project away from its purpose.
- C
- Technical elegance is one input, but it does not by itself tell you which option best delivers the intended business value.
- D
- Correct. The business case defines the objectives and expected value, so it is the natural yardstick for judging which option best advances what the project is for.