A process that specifies how formal verification and acceptance of completed project deliverables will be obtained is part of which project management plan?

Introduction / Context:
Formal verification and acceptance of completed deliverables are critical steps in ensuring that a project has truly met its scope. PMI oriented project management emphasizes that there should be a documented process describing how and when deliverables will be reviewed and accepted by the appropriate stakeholders. Exam questions often test whether you know which plan contains this process description.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The question refers to a process for formal verification and acceptance of completed project deliverables.
• We are asked to identify which project management plan contains this process.
• Answer choices include plans related to integration, WBS development, configuration management, and scope management.
• We assume PMBOK style structure of subsidiary management plans.

Concept / Approach:
The scope management plan describes how the project scope will be defined, validated, and controlled. It typically includes processes for preparing the scope statement, creating the work breakdown structure, validating completed deliverables, and handling scope changes. Formal verification and acceptance of deliverables fall under scope validation. Therefore, the process that specifies how acceptance will be obtained belongs in the scope management plan. Integration and configuration plans serve different purposes, and a WBS development plan would be narrower in focus.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that validate scope is the process of formalizing acceptance of completed deliverables. Step 2: Note that the scope management plan documents how scope definition, validation, and control will be performed. Step 3: Compare this with other plans: integration management coordinates all knowledge areas, configuration management controls product and document versions, and a WBS plan would only describe decomposition steps. Step 4: Choose the scope management plan as the plan that most directly includes the verification and acceptance process.

Verification / Alternative check:
Looking at PMBOK style descriptions, the scope management plan includes guidance on how to obtain formal acceptance of deliverables. It defines roles and responsibilities for acceptance, criteria for completion, and documentation needed to sign off on scope. The validate scope process, governed by this plan, results in accepted deliverables and change requests when necessary. This confirms that the acceptance process belongs in the scope management plan rather than other subsidiary plans.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option A, the project integration management plan, is too broad and focuses on coordinating all knowledge areas, not specifically deliverable acceptance. Option B, a WBS development plan, would only describe how to create the work breakdown structure and does not normally include formal acceptance procedures. Option C, the configuration management plan, controls versions and baselines of products and documents but does not define acceptance criteria or verification methods, although it may support them indirectly. Only option D correctly aligns with scope validation and deliverable acceptance.

Common Pitfalls:
A common pitfall is confusing configuration control of deliverables with formal acceptance of deliverables. Configuration management ensures the correct version of a product exists, while scope management ensures that the product matches agreed requirements and gets formally accepted. Another mistake is assuming that integration management alone covers all processes; while it coordinates them, specific procedures live in their respective knowledge area plans. Remembering that scope management deals with what is delivered and how it is accepted helps you choose the correct answer in similar questions.

Final Answer:
The process for verifying and formally accepting completed deliverables is part of the scope management plan.