PMP People — Leading Projects Practice Test 14 — 15 Questions

Question 1

You are the project manager for a construction project. A key vendor notifies you that they cannot deliver a critical component on time, which will delay the project by at least two weeks. The vendor was already on the risk register with a contingency plan. What should you do first?

Accepted Answer

Activate the contingency plan outlined in the risk register. D is correct because the risk was already identified and documented in the risk register with a pre-defined contingency plan. According to the PMBOK Guide, when a risk occurs, the first action is to implement the contingency plan if one exists, as it is the planned response to the specific risk event. This ensures a structured, pre-approved approach without unnecessary delays or escalation.

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Immediately contact alternative vendors to find a replacement

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Update the project schedule to reflect the delay and notify stakeholders

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Inform the project sponsor of the delay and ask for guidance

Question 2

You are managing a project using a predictive approach. A team member has been consistently missing deadlines, causing delays for the rest of the team. You have already had an informal conversation about expectations. What should you do next?

Accepted Answer

Schedule a private meeting to discuss the issue and create a performance improvement plan. Option C is correct because after an informal conversation has already taken place, the next step in progressive discipline within a predictive (waterfall) project is to schedule a private meeting to formally address the issue and collaboratively create a performance improvement plan (PIP). This aligns with the PMI People domain's emphasis on conflict resolution and team development, ensuring the team member is given a clear opportunity to improve before any escalation or removal.

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Escalate the issue to the team member's functional manager

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Reassign the team member's tasks to other team members

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Remove the team member from the project

Question 3

You are leading a distributed Scrum team. The product owner consistently interrupts the development team during sprints with new requirements, causing scope creep and reduced velocity. The team is frustrated. What should you do?

Accepted Answer

Coach the product owner on the importance of maintaining a stable sprint backlog and using the product backlog for new ideas. Option C is correct because the Scrum framework explicitly requires the product owner to maintain a stable sprint backlog once the sprint has started. Introducing new requirements mid-sprint violates the sprint goal and causes scope creep, which undermines team velocity and morale. As the Scrum Master or project leader, your role is to coach the product owner to defer new ideas to the product backlog for future sprint planning, preserving the integrity of the current sprint.

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Escalate the issue to the project sponsor

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Ask the development team to work extra hours to accommodate the changes

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Add the new requirements to the sprint backlog and adjust the sprint goal

Question 4

Your project team is co-located, but you notice that collaboration has decreased recently. Team members are working in silos, and communication is minimal. You suspect the team is not functioning as a high-performing team. What should you do first?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a meeting to create or revise the team charter with collaboration norms. The team charter establishes shared expectations for collaboration, communication, and conflict resolution. Since the team is co-located but working in silos, the first step is to revisit or create the team charter to realign norms and rebuild a collaborative culture, which directly addresses the root cause of decreased collaboration.

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Organize a team-building event to improve relationships

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Assign specific roles and responsibilities to each team member

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Escalate the issue to the project sponsor

Question 5

You are managing a project where a key executive stakeholder bypasses you and gives direct orders to the development team. The team is confused about priorities. What should you do first?

Accepted Answer

Schedule a meeting with the executive to discuss the impact of bypassing the PM and reinforce the communication plan. Option C is correct because the first action should be to address the root cause of the confusion—the executive's bypassing behavior—by scheduling a private meeting to discuss its impact on project priorities and team morale, and to reinforce the established communication plan. This aligns with the PMP's focus on proactive stakeholder management and conflict resolution, ensuring the project manager maintains authority and clarity without escalating prematurely.

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Tell the team to follow the executive's orders to avoid conflict

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Report the executive's behavior to the project sponsor

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Update the communication plan to include the executive's approach

Question 6

In an agile project, the sprint velocity has been dropping for three consecutive sprints. The team is demotivated and blaming each other during retrospectives. What should you do as the project manager?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a root cause analysis session to identify impediments and collaboratively find solutions. Option A is correct because the root cause analysis session directly addresses the team's demotivation and blame culture by shifting focus to systemic impediments rather than individual performance. In agile, velocity drops often stem from process issues, technical debt, or external blockers—not lack of effort. Facilitating a collaborative session aligns with the PMI's emphasis on servant leadership and removing impediments to restore team morale and productivity.

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Set higher performance targets to push the team to improve

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Reduce the sprint workload to boost velocity

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Replace underperforming team members

Question 7

Your project team includes members from different cultural backgrounds. You notice that some team members are uncomfortable challenging ideas during meetings, which you attribute to cultural norms. How can you best promote a culture of open communication?

Accepted Answer

Create a safe environment by explicitly encouraging diverse perspectives and using anonymous feedback tools. Option A is correct because establishing psychological safety encourages all team members to speak up. Option B is wrong because it may make them uncomfortable. Option C is wrong because it bypasses the issue. Option D is wrong because it is not a direct solution.

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Provide diversity training to the team

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Hold meetings only with individual team members to gather their input

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Assign a mentor to each team member to help them speak up

Question 8

You are managing a project that is on schedule and under budget. A key stakeholder requests a significant scope change that would improve the product's value but also extend the schedule by 20%. The change has not been through change control. What should you do?

Accepted Answer

Ask the stakeholder to submit a formal change request for evaluation. Option D is correct because the PM must follow the change control process. Option A is wrong because it bypasses change control. Option B is wrong because it ignores the potential value. Option C is wrong because it does not follow proper process.

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Refuse the change to protect the original schedule and budget

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Suggest the stakeholder request the change in a follow-up project

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Implement the change since it adds value and the project has contingency

Question 9

During a project retrospective, the team identifies several obstacles that are slowing them down, including unclear requirements and lack of access to a testing environment. As a servant leader, what should you do?

Accepted Answer

Work with the team and relevant stakeholders to remove the obstacles. Option D is correct because, as a servant leader, your primary responsibility is to remove impediments that hinder the team's progress. By working directly with the team and relevant stakeholders to address unclear requirements and lack of access to a testing environment, you enable the team to maintain velocity and focus on delivering value. This aligns with the PMI's focus on empowering teams through proactive obstacle removal rather than deferring or delegating the issue.

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Document the obstacles and review them at the next retrospective

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Prioritize the obstacles and include them in the project risk register

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Ask the team to resolve the obstacles themselves

Question 10

Your agile project team is experiencing conflicts between two developers regarding coding standards. The conflict is affecting team morale and productivity. As the project manager, which TWO actions should you take?

Accepted Answer

Encourage the team to collaboratively define a coding standard that everyone agrees on. Option A is correct because it aligns with the agile principle of self-organizing teams and collective ownership. By encouraging the team to collaboratively define a coding standard, you empower them to reach a consensus that everyone can commit to, which directly addresses the root cause of the conflict and improves morale and productivity. This approach fosters team cohesion and ensures the standard is practical and accepted by all, rather than being imposed externally.

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Remove the developers from the project to avoid further conflict

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Decide on a coding standard yourself and enforce it

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Escalate the conflict to the functional managers of the developers

Question 11

Your project is in the execution phase when a new regulatory requirement is discovered that impacts the project scope. The change is mandatory and must be implemented immediately. Which THREE actions should you take?

Accepted Answer

Update the project management plan and other relevant documents after approval. Option A is correct because once a change request is approved by the CCB, the project management plan and other relevant documents must be updated to reflect the new regulatory requirement. This ensures that the project baseline (scope, schedule, cost) is formally revised and that all stakeholders are working from the same approved version, maintaining control over the project's execution.

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Instruct the team to start implementing the change immediately

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Ignore the regulation because the project is already underway

Question 12

You are leading a virtual team across three time zones. Team members have expressed feeling isolated and disconnected. Which THREE actions would best improve team cohesion and collaboration?

Accepted Answer

Schedule overlapping work hours for real-time collaboration. Options A, C, and D are correct because they promote interaction, informal communication, and team bonding. Option B is wrong because it reduces synchronous interaction. Option E is wrong because it focuses only on work, not relationship building.

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Encourage team members to communicate primarily via email

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Assign all work individually to minimize coordination overhead

Question 13

You are leading a software development project using a hybrid approach. During a sprint review, two senior developers have a heated argument about the technical implementation of a feature. The disagreement is causing tension among the team. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Meet with both developers separately and then together to find a solution. Option C is correct because, as the project manager, your first responsibility is to address the conflict directly using collaborative conflict resolution techniques. Meeting with each developer separately allows you to understand their technical perspectives without group pressure, and then bringing them together facilitates a solution that respects both viewpoints and maintains team cohesion. This approach aligns with the PMI People domain, emphasizing servant leadership and proactive conflict management.

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Escalate the conflict to the project sponsor

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Assign the feature to a different developer

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Ask the team members to resolve it on their own

Question 14

You manage a global project team with members in three different time zones. Several team members have expressed feeling isolated and disconnected from the project. Communication has become sporadic. What is the BEST way to address this?

Accepted Answer

Schedule regular video conferences and virtual team-building activities. Option D is correct because it directly addresses the root cause of isolation and sporadic communication by fostering synchronous interaction and team cohesion. Regular video conferences enable real-time collaboration and non-verbal cues, while virtual team-building activities strengthen interpersonal relationships, which are critical for distributed teams. This aligns with the PMBOK Guide's emphasis on using communication methods that promote engagement and trust in virtual environments.

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Send a weekly email newsletter with project updates

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Assign a local team lead in each time zone

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Require all team members to work the same hours

Question 15

During a project to develop a new mobile app, a key team member has been consistently underperforming, missing deadlines, and delivering low-quality work. The team is becoming demotivated. You have had informal conversations with the team member, but performance has not improved. What should you do NEXT?

Accepted Answer

Initiate a formal performance improvement plan with clear expectations and consequences. Option B is correct because, after informal coaching has failed, the next step in progressive discipline is to initiate a formal Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) with clear expectations, measurable goals, and defined consequences. This aligns with the PMBOK Guide's emphasis on addressing performance issues systematically before considering escalation or removal, ensuring fairness and documentation.

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Ignore the issue and hope performance improves naturally

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Escalate to the functional manager to request a replacement

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Remove the team member from the project immediately to protect team morale