PMP People — Leading Projects Practice Test 18 — 15 Questions

Question 1

A new team member from a different cultural background joins your global project team. Some team members are struggling to adapt to his communication style, and misunderstandings are increasing. As the project manager, what should you do first?

Choose an answer to begin — your selection is scored in the full session.

Accepted Answer

Organize a team-building session focused on cross-cultural communication and establish a team charter that respects diverse styles. The first step in resolving cross-cultural communication issues is to foster understanding and collaboration within the team, not to escalate or impose changes. By organizing a team-building session focused on cross-cultural communication and establishing a team charter that respects diverse styles, you address the root cause—lack of awareness and shared norms—while empowering the team to adapt collectively. This aligns with the PMI People domain, emphasizing servant leadership and proactive conflict resolution.

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Escalate the issue to human resources for diversity training

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Remove the new member from the team and assign him to a less critical role

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Ask the new team member to adapt his communication style to match the team's norms

Question 2

During a sprint review, the product owner rejects a user story because it does not meet the acceptance criteria. The developer who worked on it becomes defensive and argues that the implementation is technically superior to what was requested. What should the project manager do?

Accepted Answer

Support the product owner's decision and remind the developer to adhere to the agreed acceptance criteria in the future. The product owner is the ultimate authority on acceptance criteria. The developer's role is to deliver what was agreed upon, not to add unrequested features (gold-plating). Option B incorrectly escalates a project-level decision unnecessarily. Option C undermines the product owner's authority by letting the team override their decision. Option D is wrong because it still includes the unrequested technical implementation, which deviates from the acceptance criteria.

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Escalate to the project sponsor to resolve the disagreement between the developer and the product owner

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Allow the developer to present the technical benefits and let the team vote on whether to keep the implementation

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Suggest that the team rework the story to match the acceptance criteria while still incorporating the superior implementation

Question 3

You are managing a large-scale project with multiple vendors. One vendor is consistently late in delivering critical components, jeopardizing the project schedule. The vendor blames the delays on your team's incomplete specifications. What should you do first?

Accepted Answer

Conduct a root cause analysis with the vendor and your team to identify underlying issues and develop a corrective action plan. As a project manager, your first step should be to investigate the root cause of the conflict before taking corrective action. Conducting a root cause analysis with both the vendor and your team aligns with the PMI's 'Manage Stakeholder Engagement' and 'Manage Team' processes, ensuring you address the underlying issue (incomplete specifications vs. vendor performance) rather than symptoms. This collaborative approach preserves the relationship and prevents recurrence, which is critical for a large-scale project with multiple vendors.

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Request that your team rework the specifications to be more detailed and clear

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Replace the vendor with a new one that can meet the deadlines

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Formally notify the vendor of the delays and threaten legal action if performance does not improve

Question 4

Your agile team's velocity has dropped for the third consecutive sprint. The team members report feeling burned out and demotivated due to excessive overtime. What should the project manager do first?

Accepted Answer

Hold a retrospective focused on identifying the causes of overtime and discuss ways to improve sustainable pace. The first step when facing burnout and overtime is to hold a retrospective to identify root causes and discuss sustainable pace improvements. This aligns with the agile principle of continuous improvement and the PMP People domain focus on team motivation and well-being. Addressing the underlying issues before taking corrective actions ensures long-term productivity rather than temporary fixes.

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Increase the team size by adding new members to distribute the workload

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Reduce the scope of the next sprint to give the team a break

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Inform the product owner that the team cannot commit to any new features until morale improves

Question 5

You are managing a project in a virtual environment. A team member from a different time zone misses an important deadline because he was not aware of the priority due to a language barrier. What should you do first?

Accepted Answer

Have a one-on-one video call with the team member to discuss the communication breakdown and offer language support tools. The first step in addressing a missed deadline caused by a language barrier in a virtual environment is to have a one-on-one video call with the team member. This allows you to understand the specific communication breakdown, clarify the priority, and offer language support tools (e.g., translation software or written summaries) to prevent recurrence. The PMBOK Guide emphasizes that the project manager should first use interpersonal skills to resolve issues and support the team, not escalate or penalize immediately.

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Update the team charter to include clearer communication protocols for virtual teams

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Reassign the task to another team member who can complete it on time

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Issue a formal warning to the team member about the missed deadline

Question 6

During a project status meeting, you notice that one team member consistently interrupts others and dismisses their ideas. This behavior is affecting team morale and collaboration. What should you do first?

Accepted Answer

Speak privately with the team member after the meeting to discuss the impact of their behavior. Addressing interpersonal issues privately and promptly aligns with the PMP's focus on proactive conflict resolution and team management. By speaking privately with the team member, you can discuss the specific behavior's impact on morale and collaboration without public embarrassment, which is key to maintaining a respectful team environment and preventing escalation.

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End the meeting and schedule a team-building session

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Ignore the behavior as it is not affecting the project outcomes directly

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Ask the team member to leave the meeting until they can behave professionally

Question 7

Your project is using a hybrid approach. A key stakeholder requests a significant scope change that would affect the critical path. The change request has been submitted and approved. What should the project manager do next?

Accepted Answer

Update the project management plan and baselines to reflect the approved change. In a hybrid project, once a scope change is approved, the project manager must update the project management plan and baselines (scope, schedule, cost) to formally integrate the change. This ensures all future work aligns with the new approved scope and maintains traceability. Option D is correct because it follows the Perform Integrated Change Control process, which requires updating the plan and baselines before implementation.

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Wait until the next sprint planning to introduce the change to the team

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Notify the sponsor and update the risk register

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Inform the team about the change and ask them to adjust their work accordingly

Question 8

You are managing a project where the sponsor has asked the team to skip testing to save time. The team is against it because they believe it will compromise quality. What should the project manager do?

Accepted Answer

Explain the risks of skipping testing to the sponsor and propose a risk-based testing approach that reduces testing time without sacrificing critical quality. The project manager's primary responsibility is to balance stakeholder expectations with project constraints while protecting the quality of deliverables. By explaining the risks of skipping testing and proposing a risk-based testing approach, the PM demonstrates leadership by negotiating a solution that addresses the sponsor's time concerns without compromising critical quality. This aligns with the PMP's focus on leading the team and managing stakeholder communication effectively.

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Instruct the team to test anyway without telling the sponsor

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Follow the sponsor's directive to skip testing because the sponsor has authority

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Accept the sponsor's request but document the risk in the risk register

Question 9

A project team member has been underperforming for several weeks. You have had informal conversations with them, but performance has not improved. What should you do next?

Accepted Answer

Initiate a formal performance improvement plan with clear expectations and milestones. After informal coaching has failed, the project manager must follow a structured performance management process. Initiating a formal Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) with clear expectations, measurable milestones, and a defined timeline aligns with the PMBOK Guide's principles for leading the team and managing performance issues. This approach provides the underperforming team member with a documented opportunity to improve while protecting the project's objectives.

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Ignore the underperformance and hope it resolves on its own

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Immediately replace the team member with a new resource

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Escalate the issue to human resources for termination

Question 10

Your project is running 15% over budget at the midpoint. The team is working well, but the variance is due to inaccurate cost estimates. What should the project manager do first?

Accepted Answer

Perform a root cause analysis to understand why estimates were inaccurate and develop a corrective action plan. The project manager should first perform a root cause analysis to understand why the cost estimates were inaccurate, as this addresses the fundamental issue rather than applying a superficial fix. This aligns with the PMBOK Guide's principle of identifying the root cause of a variance before taking corrective action, ensuring that the corrective action plan targets the actual problem and prevents recurrence.

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Reduce the scope of remaining work to bring costs back in line

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Inform the team to cut costs wherever possible

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Request additional budget from the sponsor to cover the overrun

Question 11

A conflict has arisen between two functional managers whose teams are working on your project. They disagree on resource allocation and priorities, and the conflict is delaying progress. Which THREE actions should the project manager take to resolve the situation?

Accepted Answer

Review the project's resource management plan and priorities to align their work with project objectives. The resource management plan and project priorities provide the objective framework for aligning the functional managers' conflicting demands. By reviewing these documents, the project manager can ground the discussion in the project's agreed-upon constraints and objectives, ensuring that resource allocation decisions support the project's goals rather than personal or departmental preferences.

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Document the conflict in the lessons learned register for future projects

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Make a unilateral decision on resource allocation to end the conflict quickly

Question 12

Your project team includes members from diverse cultural backgrounds. You notice that some team members are hesitant to speak up during meetings due to cultural norms about hierarchy. Which TWO approaches would best promote inclusive participation?

Accepted Answer

Use anonymous polling or chat-based feedback tools during meetings to gather input from everyone. Anonymous polling or chat-based feedback tools create a safe, low-pressure channel for team members who may be hesitant to speak up due to cultural norms about hierarchy. This approach bypasses the social dynamics of face-to-face meetings, allowing everyone to contribute equally without fear of contradicting senior members or violating cultural protocols. It directly addresses the root cause—hesitation due to hierarchy—by removing the need for verbal participation in a hierarchical setting.

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Assign speaking order based on seniority to respect cultural norms

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Ask only the most vocal team members to provide input to keep meetings efficient

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Hold meetings at times that are convenient for the majority of the team

Question 13

You are managing a software development project using a hybrid approach. Two senior developers have a technical disagreement that has escalated into a personal conflict, causing delays. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Meet with each developer separately to understand their perspectives and facilitate a resolution. As a project manager using a hybrid approach, your first responsibility is to address interpersonal conflicts privately and individually to understand each party's perspective before attempting a facilitated resolution. This aligns with the PMI People domain's emphasis on emotional intelligence and conflict resolution techniques, where direct, private conversations help de-escalate tensions and uncover root causes without public embarrassment or escalation.

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Bring the two developers together in a team meeting to resolve the issue openly

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Escalate the issue to the project sponsor for resolution

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Reassign one of the developers to a different project to avoid further conflict

Question 14

You are leading a virtual team across multiple time zones. During daily stand-ups, you notice that team members from one region are consistently quiet and not contributing. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Schedule a one-on-one meeting with a few members of that region to ask about their experience and any barriers. The first step in addressing a participation issue in a virtual team is to understand the root cause through direct, private conversations. This aligns with the PMP principle of 'servant leadership' and the 'People' domain, where you must first investigate barriers (e.g., time zone fatigue, cultural norms, or tool discomfort) before implementing solutions. A one-on-one meeting builds psychological safety and gathers specific feedback, which is essential for an effective corrective action.

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Implement a new communication tool to encourage engagement

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Send a team-wide email reminding everyone of the importance of participation

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Assign speaking turns to ensure everyone participates

Question 15

During a sprint retrospective, the team expresses frustration that they are frequently interrupted by ad-hoc requests from stakeholders. Scrum Master role you are also the PM. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Work with the product owner to establish a process for handling ad-hoc requests and shield the team. As both Scrum Master and PM, your primary responsibility is to protect the team from disruptions while ensuring stakeholder needs are addressed. Working with the Product Owner to establish a formal process for handling ad-hoc requests—such as triaging, prioritizing, and deferring non-critical items—preserves the team's focus and sprint commitment. This aligns with the servant-leader role of a Scrum Master and the PM's duty to manage stakeholder expectations without bypassing the product backlog.

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Ask stakeholders to submit all requests as change requests for formal approval

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Instruct the team to ignore all ad-hoc requests until the next sprint planning

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Add a buffer to the sprint backlog to account for interruptions