Which is NOT a core element of project management for capital programs?

• A. Quality control and testing.
• B. Scope, schedule, budget, risk management, and stakeholder communication.
• C. Risk management and stakeholder communication.
• D. Scope and schedule alignment with budget.

Answer: (A)

In capital program project management, the key drivers of success are what you plan, control, and report on: the defined scope, the schedule to deliver it, the budget to fund it, how risks are identified and mitigated, and how stakeholders are kept informed. Quality control and testing, while essential for ensuring that deliverables meet requirements, sits under quality management rather than as a primary management lever for steering the program. It’s an important activity that supports delivering a quality product, but it doesn’t by itself set or govern the program’s scope, timing, cost, risk response, or stakeholder communications in the way the other elements do. So, quality control and testing is not a core element of project management for capital programs in the sense of driving planning and governance across those primary dimensions.