MSP-Practitioner Exam Dumps - PeopleCert MSP Questions and Answers

Comprehensive and Detailed 200 to 250 words of Explanation From Exact Extract of project-programme-and-portfolio-management of 5th Edition MSP:

In the MSP 5th Edition, the principle of 'Lead with Purpose' is fundamental to ensuring that all stakeholders understand the "why" behind a programme's existence. This principle dictates that a programme must have a clear vision and a consistent direction, which is steered by senior leadership. According to the MSP 5th Edition guidance, leading with purpose means that those in leadership roles must be able to articulate the future state and the justification for the change. It is not merely about managing tasks; it is about providing the strategic narrative that justifies the transformation and the impact it will have on the organization and its people.

In the scenario provided, the CEngO is acting as a visible leader. The reason Option B is the correct application of this principle is that 'Lead with Purpose' focuses on the clarity of the Vision and the Strategic Objectives. By explaining "what changes are being made and why," the CEngO is ensuring that the staff—even those facing redundancy—understand the broader purpose of the programme. This transparency is essential for maintaining integrity and trust during a period of uncertainty. While providing support (Option A) is a critical part of stakeholder engagement and people management, the core of the 'Lead with Purpose' principle is the communication of the programme's intent and the rationale for the journey being undertaken. This principle ensures that the programme remains aligned with its desired outcomes and that leadership remains accountable for the direction of the change.

Comprehensive and Detailed 200 to 250 words of Explanation From Exact Extract of project-programme-and-portfolio-management of 5th Edition MSP:

The Decisions Theme in MSP 5th Edition involves monitoring the impact of the transformation and responding to emerging information. During the 'Embed the outcomes' process, the programme must look for unintended consequences—outcomes of the change that were not part of the original design but have an impact (usually negative) on the organization.

The loss of critical, highly skilled staff during a redundancy process is a classic unintended consequence. While the redundancies themselves were a planned output to reduce costs, the "brain drain" of key talent is a side effect that could damage the long-term health of the business. Option A is the correct answer because MSP 5th Edition guidance states that such consequences should be managed by increasing monitoring and assurance to understand the scale of the impact. This allows the Programme Board to decide if corrective action is needed. While it could be viewed as a dis-benefit (Option C), the "decisions" theme specifically looks at these emerging impacts as things that need to be tracked and evaluated through the governance structure. By treating it as an unintended consequence, the programme can use its assurance mechanisms to provide the SRO with the data needed to make a strategic choice, such as adjusting the retention strategy or the pace of the remaining redundancies.

The false statement is that “End of tranche review drives benefits management.” In MSP, benefits management drives end of tranche reviews rather than the other way around.

The MSP Practitioner clarifies: “Benefits management drives end of tranche reviews,” meaning that benefits realization considerations inform tranche planning, execution, and review processes.

This approach ensures that benefit delivery remains central to programme governance and decision-making, promoting alignment of delivery with strategic value.

The process of how issues will be identified, captured, and assessed is not recorded in the Issue Register itself but is instead documented in the Issue Management Strategy.

The MSP Practitioner clarifies: “How to deal with issue is identified in issue management strategy,” meaning the register contains actual issues with details such as date raised, description, and categorization but not the procedural approach.

This distinction ensures that the register remains a real-time log of current issues while the management strategy defines policies and processes for consistent issue handling across the programme.

Maintaining this separation improves clarity and operational efficiency in issue management.

Providing regular progress updates to the Senior Responsible Owner (SRO) is the responsibility of the Programme Manager, not the Programme Office. The Programme Office supports by maintaining information repositories, tracking risks and issues, and ensuring control frameworks are implemented. The MSP Practitioner clarifies: “Programme manager provides regular updates to SRO,” distinguishing the oversight and reporting role of the Programme Manager from the administrative and support role of the Programme Office.

Comprehensive and Detailed 200 to 250 words of Explanation From Exact Extract of project-programme-and-portfolio-management of 5th Edition MSP:

The 'Plan progressive delivery' process is the stage where the programme moves from high-level concepts to tangible, resourced plans. A key requirement of this process is to ensure that the resources (people, assets, and funding) required for the first tranche are not just identified, but actually committed by the business owners.

Option A is the correct answer. According to MSP 5th Edition, a programme should not proceed into a delivery tranche (such as Tranche 1) until there is a firm commitment from the functional managers who "own" the resources. The Call Centre Manager is the person who must balance the needs of the programme against the needs of business-as-usual (BAU). If they do not commit the staff during the planning process, the programme risks failing in its first tranche due to resource shortages. The Sponsoring Group (Option C) provides the high-level mandate and funding, but the actual day-to-day commitment of staff must come from the operational line managers. This commitment is a prerequisite for the SRO to "Agree to proceed." Obtaining this commitment early is a critical success factor for programme management, as it reduces the risk of conflict between the programme and the business once delivery starts.

Levels of confidentiality and information security requirements are documented in the Information Management Strategy. This strategy sets out how information will be handled throughout the programme, covering aspects such as access rights, data classification, storage, and dissemination protocols to protect sensitive information.

The MSP Practitioner specifies: “Confidentiality details are defined in Information management strategy,” indicating that this document governs the secure management of programme data and communication. It is essential that confidentiality levels are clear to prevent unauthorized access to sensitive information, which could jeopardize the programme’s success or breach legal and regulatory obligations.

While Quality Management, Resource Management, and Benefits Management Strategies address different governance aspects such as assurance, resource allocation, and benefit realization, they do not primarily deal with confidentiality.

Information management is critical for stakeholder trust, compliance with legislation (e.g., GDPR), and safeguarding intellectual property or competitive advantage. Clear documentation in the Information Management Strategy ensures that all programme participants understand their responsibilities regarding confidentiality, promoting consistent and secure handling of data.

Comprehensive and Detailed 200 to 250 words of Explanation From Exact Extract of project-programme-and-portfolio-management of 5th Edition MSP:

The Risk Theme in MSP 5th Edition requires that all identified risks (both threats and opportunities) are assigned to an appropriate owner. A Risk Owner is someone who has the authority and resources to manage the risk and who is accountable for ensuring that the chosen response is implemented effectively. The seniority of the risk owner should be proportional to the level of risk exposure.

In this scenario, the risk—potential technological obsolescence or the opportunity for better technology—is categorized as high probability and high impact. This represents a significant exposure for the programme. Option A is the correct answer because MSP guidance states that high-priority risks that could fundamentally affect the programme's technical strategy or benefit realization should be owned by senior leaders. The Chief Technology Officer (CTO) is the ideal owner because they have the strategic oversight and technical authority to manage a risk related to "next-generation" smart meters. Appointing a senior executive ensures that the risk receives the necessary attention at the Programme Board level and that the phased roll-out strategy is technically sound and aligned with the organization's long-term technology roadmap. This demonstrates a mature application of risk management where accountability is placed at the level where the most impact can be made.

While identifying the correct people to communicate with is important, MSP does not list it as one of the four core elements of successful communication.

The MSP Practitioner outlines the four core elements as:

a) Stakeholder identification and analysis

b) Message Clarity and consistency

c) Effective system of message delivery

d) Feedback Collection system

These elements ensure messages are targeted, clear, consistently delivered, and that feedback is captured to improve communication.

Misidentifying core communication elements can weaken engagement efforts, so focusing on these pillars supports stronger communication outcomes throughout the programme lifecycle.

A key attribute for a Programme Manager is a good knowledge of project management approaches. This expertise enables the Programme Manager to oversee and coordinate multiple interrelated projects, ensuring they deliver outputs that collectively realize programme objectives.

The MSP Practitioner states: “Programme Manager should have good project management skills,” emphasizing that while strategic leadership and stakeholder engagement are important, the ability to manage the complexities of project delivery is fundamental to the Programme Manager role.

While change management skills and access to key stakeholders are important complementary abilities, the core responsibility of managing project delivery across a dossier of projects necessitates strong project management knowledge. The Programme Manager acts as the bridge between strategic programme objectives and tactical project execution, requiring detailed understanding of project methodologies, risk management, scheduling, resource coordination, and quality assurance.

This knowledge supports effective integration, issue resolution, and benefits delivery, positioning the Programme Manager as a central figure in programme success.