The correct answers are C and E .
This is a classic business availability and decision-latency risk in AgilePM. The problem is not just that Brinda is absent. The bigger issue is that the Business Visionary input is missing at a time when strategic adjustments are affecting delivery decisions . That creates a real risk of:
misalignment with the project vision,
unnecessary assumptions,
frustration in the Delivery Teams,
and costly rework.
AgilePM relies heavily on active business involvement . When a key business role becomes unavailable, the right response is to restore decision-making guidance quickly and protect the teams from working blindly on uncertain items .
Why C is correct
“Hira should engage other business stakeholders to assume Brinda Vyas ' responsibilities to ensure the Delivery Teams receives strategic guidance.â€
This aligns strongly with AgilePM.
Hira, as Project Manager, should act to restore the missing business guidance by coordinating with suitable business stakeholders who can temporarily support or cover the gap. AgilePM does not encourage leaving teams without access to strategic direction. It also does not assume that work should continue normally when a key business authority is unavailable.
This response is good because it:
maintains business engagement,
reduces decision delays,
protects alignment with the vision,
and helps the Delivery Teams continue with informed guidance.
In AgilePM, if a critical role is unavailable, the project should adapt so the necessary business input remains accessible.
Why E is correct
“The Delivery Teams should focus on backlog items with clear business direction and pause tasks that require Brinda Vyas ' input until guidance is available.â€
This is also very AgilePM-aligned.
It is a practical risk response that avoids reckless progress based on guesswork. Teams should keep moving where the direction is already clear, but they should avoid pushing ahead on items that depend on missing strategic clarification.
This balances:
maintaining momentum,
avoiding unnecessary delay across all work,
and reducing the risk of rework on unclear items.
That is exactly the kind of sensible, adaptive delivery behavior AgilePM supports.
Why the other options are incorrect
A. Continue increment work based on the backlog, assuming adjustments can be made when Brinda Vyas returns.
This is not a good AgilePM response because it normalizes working with outdated or incomplete strategic guidance. If recent strategic changes have not been communicated, continuing as normal increases the risk of building the wrong thing.
B. Mira Bachar and the Delivery Teams should document assumptions behind decisions and continue progress without validation.
Documenting assumptions is better than ignoring them, but continuing without validation is still too risky in this scenario. AgilePM values transparency, but it does not support knowingly progressing on uncertain strategic assumptions when better escalation and stakeholder engagement are possible.
D. Hira should escalate to Sarah Lark, the Business Sponsor, to replace Brinda Vyas with another qualified Business Visionary.
This may become necessary if the absence is prolonged or the project is materially threatened, but it is too strong as the best immediate response here. AgilePM would first look to restore business guidance through practical engagement and controlled work selection before moving to formal replacement.
AgilePM perspective
AgilePM expects:
active and timely business input,
collaborative response to risks,
continued delivery where direction is clear,
and escalation or substitution when critical decision-making is missing.
So the best way to handle this risk is to:
restore business guidance through other suitable stakeholders , and
limit work to items that have clear direction until ambiguity is resolved .
Therefore, the correct answers are:
C, E