The following PMP® exam sample question is taken from the Free PMP Exam Simulator at http://free.pm-exam-simulator.com - The answer is at the very bottom:

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A project manager takes over a challenging two-month project to design a new sports car using CAD/CAM software. In the first project team meeting the project manager assures the team that good performers will be rewarded. After working night and day for nearly the entire two months, the team finally completed the project. The project manager called in all of the team members to distribute rewards based on their performance during the project.

The project manager only awarded two team members with incentive bonuses out of the total of 60 people who worked on the project. A client who was at the post-project award function asked the project manager why only two team members were provided reward bonuses and not all team members. What did the project manager miss while defining rewards and recognition?

A.) When the project manager considered cultural differences to decide on the recognition, he did not realize that other resources might get offended.

B.) The project manager defined objectives for individuals based on the work they were supposed to perform.

C.) The project manager initially set the criteria for rewards that might have made the team over confident.

D.) The project manager made the targets unachievable to ensure excellence throughout the project.

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Hint: Team recognition should be based on individual tasks that are achievable and clear.

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Until next time,
Cornelius Fichtner, PMP
President, OSP International LLC
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ANSWER AND EXPLANATION:
The correct answer is D
Explanation: The entire team worked night and day for two months and finally completed the project but only two members were rewarded. This implies that the targets were unachievable and that the expectations set by the project manager were unrealistic.
Reference: PMBOK Guide 4th Edition, page 234