PMP People — Leading Projects Practice Test 24 — 15 Questions

Question 1

During a project retrospective, the team identifies that their velocity has plateaued due to excessive context switching and unclear priorities. Which THREE actions should the project manager take to address these issues?

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

Accepted Answer

Work with the product owner to prioritize the backlog and reduce ambiguity. Option A is correct because working with the product owner to prioritize the backlog directly addresses unclear priorities, ensuring the team pulls the highest-value items first and reducing ambiguity about what to build next. Option D is correct because limiting work in progress (WIP) is the core Kanban/Lean practice that reduces multitasking and context switching, allowing the team to finish work faster and improve flow. Option E is correct because shielding the team from external interruptions and unnecessary meetings removes the sources of context switching, protecting focused work time and stabilizing velocity. Option B is not appropriate because adding more features increases workload and context switching rather than resolving the root causes. Option C is not appropriate because lengthening the sprint does not fix unclear priorities or multitasking and can delay feedback and reduce adaptability.

Answer

Add more features to the sprint backlog to increase challenge

Answer

Increase the sprint length to give the team more time to complete work

Question 2

You are transitioning a traditional project team to an agile framework. Some team members are resistant to the change. Which THREE strategies should you employ to facilitate the transition?

Accepted Answer

Hold one-on-one meetings to understand individual concerns and address them. Option A is correct because holding one-on-one meetings lets you uncover each person's specific fears and motivations, so resistance can be addressed individually rather than with a blanket mandate. Option B is correct because involving the team in designing the new agile processes builds ownership and buy-in, which is a core change-management technique for reducing resistance. Option C is correct because providing training on agile principles and practices closes the knowledge gap that often underlies resistance, giving team members the skills and confidence to work in the new framework. Option D does not belong because mandating immediate adoption without discussion ignores the human side of change and typically increases resistance. Option E does not belong because replacing resistant team members is a punitive, last-resort action that destroys trust and wastes institutional knowledge rather than facilitating the transition.

Answer

Mandate immediate adoption of agile practices without discussion

Answer

Replace resistant team members with agile-experienced staff

Question 3

You are managing a hybrid project using Scrum for development and a predictive approach for regulatory deliverables. During the daily standup, two senior developers disagree strongly on the technical approach to implement a user story. The disagreement is causing tension and slowing progress. As the project manager, what should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a discussion between the two developers to understand both perspectives and reach a consensus. In a hybrid project, the project manager must first facilitate conflict resolution among team members to maintain team cohesion and ensure progress. Option B aligns with the PMI's emphasis on servant leadership and collaborative problem-solving, as it addresses the root cause of the disagreement without bypassing the team's autonomy or escalating prematurely.

Answer

Assign the story to another developer who can work without conflict

Answer

Make the technical decision yourself based on your experience

Answer

Escalate the issue to the project sponsor for a decision

Question 4

Your project is in execution phase, and a key vendor informs you that they will be unable to deliver a critical component on time due to a supply chain disruption. This risk was identified in the risk register and a contingency plan was developed. The project timeline is tight, and any delay will impact the critical path. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Implement the contingency plan as documented in the risk register and communicate with stakeholders. The risk was already identified and a contingency plan exists in the risk register. The first action should be to implement that plan, as it was pre-approved for this exact scenario. Communicating with stakeholders is also essential to manage expectations and coordinate next steps, especially since the delay impacts the critical path.

Answer

Immediately find an alternative vendor who can deliver on time

Answer

Re-baseline the project schedule to accommodate the delay

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Alert the project sponsor about the delay and ask for additional time

Question 5

You are leading a virtual team across three time zones. During a video conference, you notice that one team member from a remote location has not spoken for the entire meeting. In previous meetings, this team member has also been quiet. What should you do to ensure effective collaboration?

Accepted Answer

Schedule a one-on-one conversation to understand any barriers and encourage participation. It aligns with the PMP principle of servant leadership and proactive stakeholder engagement. By scheduling a one-on-one conversation, you create a safe environment to identify potential barriers (e.g., time zone fatigue, cultural differences, or technical issues with the virtual platform) that may be inhibiting participation. This approach fosters trust and encourages collaboration without putting the team member on the spot in a group setting.

Answer

Ask the team member directly during the meeting why they are not contributing

Answer

Assign the team member as the note-taker to ensure they are engaged

Answer

Assume the team member has nothing to contribute and focus on others

Question 6

In a Scrum project, the team's velocity has been dropping over the last three sprints. The team members seem demotivated and are complaining about too many meetings and unclear priorities. As the agile project manager, what should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a retrospective to identify root causes and collaboratively implement improvements. The first step in addressing a drop in velocity and team demotivation is to facilitate a retrospective, which is a core Scrum ceremony designed to inspect and adapt the team's process. This allows the team to collaboratively identify root causes—such as excessive meetings or unclear priorities—and implement improvements, aligning with the agile principle of continuous improvement and the PMP's focus on leading the team through servant leadership.

Answer

Set a higher sprint goal to challenge the team to improve

Answer

Add more developers to the team to increase capacity

Answer

Reduce the number of meetings by canceling the daily standup

Question 7

You are managing a project where an executive stakeholder has been bypassing you and directly giving instructions to the team members. This has caused confusion and rework. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Have a private meeting with the executive stakeholder to discuss the importance of following the communication plan. The first step in resolving a stakeholder bypassing the communication plan is to address the issue directly with the stakeholder in a private, respectful meeting. This aligns with the PMI's principle of managing stakeholders proactively and using the communication plan as a reference to clarify roles and expectations. By discussing the importance of following the established plan, you can resolve the root cause without escalating prematurely or undermining the stakeholder's authority.

Answer

Instruct the team to ignore any instructions that do not come through you

Answer

Update the communication management plan to require all communications to go through you

Answer

Escalate the issue to the project sponsor and ask them to intervene

Question 8

A new team member joins your project and is struggling to understand the technical domain and the team's culture. Their productivity is low, and they seem hesitant to ask questions. As project manager, what is the BEST way to support this team member?

Accepted Answer

Assign a senior team member to mentor and pair with them on tasks. Assigning a senior team member to mentor and pair with the new member directly addresses both the technical domain gap and the cultural hesitancy. Pairing provides real-time, context-rich learning and psychological safety, which is more effective than passive documentation or isolated training for accelerating integration and productivity.

Answer

Provide them with detailed documentation and ask them to read it on their own time

Answer

Extend their deadlines to reduce pressure

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Enroll them in an online training course for the technical domain

Question 9

Your predictive project is halfway through execution. A team member has been consistently missing deadlines, and their work quality is declining. You suspect personal issues but are unsure. The project is at risk of schedule delays. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Schedule a private meeting to discuss their performance concerns and offer support. The PMBOK Guide emphasizes that the first step in addressing performance issues is to have a private, respectful conversation to understand the root cause. As a project manager, you must demonstrate emotional intelligence and servant leadership by offering support before escalating or penalizing the team member. This approach aligns with the 'Manage Team' process and the principle of leading with empathy, which is critical for maintaining trust and motivation.

Answer

Escalate the issue to human resources for disciplinary action

Answer

Formally document the underperformance and issue a performance improvement plan

Answer

Reassign their tasks to other team members to protect the schedule

Question 10

You are the project manager for a global, virtual team. Which TWO actions would be MOST effective in building trust and collaboration among team members?

Accepted Answer

Schedule regular video calls where team members can share personal updates and non-work-related topics. Option A is correct because scheduling regular video calls that include personal updates and non-work topics builds interpersonal relationships and psychological safety in a virtual team, which are foundational to trust and collaboration when members cannot interact face-to-face. Option B is correct because implementing a collaboration platform with shared workspaces and real-time communication channels provides the persistent, transparent, and accessible tools (e.g., document co-editing, chat, presence) that enable ongoing coordination and visibility across time zones and locations. Option C is not as effective because a one-time workshop at project start creates only a temporary bonding experience and does not sustain trust or collaboration throughout the project lifecycle. Option D does not belong because rotating meeting times to equalize inconvenience addresses fairness of scheduling but does not by itself build trust or collaboration. Option E is not appropriate because mandating daily informal chat sessions can feel forced and intrusive, and may create communication overload rather than genuine trust and collaboration.

Answer

Organize a one-time team-building workshop at the start of the project

Answer

Rotate meeting times so each time zone is inconvenienced equally

Answer

Require all team members to participate in daily informal chat sessions

Question 11

During a project review, you discover that the project is 15% over budget at the midpoint. After analysis, you find that the cost overrun is due to underestimation of testing effort and one team member's inefficiency. Which TWO actions should you take to address the situation?

Accepted Answer

Have a private conversation with the underperforming team member to understand challenges and provide support. Option B is correct because the overrun has a human-performance root cause, and a private, supportive conversation is the appropriate first step to uncover whether the team member faces skill gaps, unclear expectations, or blockers, and to agree on corrective support without demotivating the team. Option C is correct because the testing-effort underestimation points to a flawed estimate basis, so reviewing the estimating assumptions and applying earned value management (for example, CPI = EV/AC and EAC = BAC/CPI) lets you re-forecast the final cost and decide on a data-driven corrective response. Option A is not appropriate as a primary action because contingency reserves are for identified risks that materialize, not for correcting estimating errors or performance issues, and using them here would mask the root cause. Option D is wrong because unilateral scope reduction is a change that requires stakeholder approval and would not address the underlying estimating and performance problems. Option E is wrong because immediately enrolling the member in advanced testing training presumes a training deficiency before the cause is diagnosed, and it adds cost rather than controlling it.

Answer

Apply contingency reserves to cover the cost overrun

Answer

Reduce the project scope to bring costs back in line

Answer

Immediately enroll the team member in an advanced testing training course

Question 12

As an agile project manager, you want to empower the development team to self-organize. Which TWO practices would BEST support self-organization?

Accepted Answer

Protect the team from external interruptions and scope changes during the sprint. Options B and C are correct. Protecting the team from external interruptions and scope changes during the sprint (B) allows the team to maintain focus on their committed work, preserving their autonomy and enabling self-organization. Allowing the team to estimate their own work and plan the sprint backlog (C) empowers the team to take ownership of their commitments and encourages collective decision-making, which is fundamental to self-organization. Option A (assigning tasks based on expertise) undermines self-organization by imposing external control and reducing team ownership. Option D (monitoring hours) is micromanagement that hinders self-organization. Option E (defining technical solution in detail) restricts the team's creativity and ownership over the technical approach.

Answer

Assign specific tasks to team members based on their expertise

Answer

Monitor each team member's hours to ensure productivity

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Define the technical solution in detail for the team to implement

Question 13

You are leading a project with a diverse team including members from different cultures and backgrounds. Which THREE actions should you take to promote an inclusive team environment?

Accepted Answer

Establish a team charter that includes norms for respectful communication and conflict resolution. Options A, B, and C are correct because establishing a team charter with norms for respectful communication (A), celebrating cultural holidays and encouraging sharing of traditions (B), and using inclusive language while avoiding assumptions (C) all foster an inclusive team environment. Option D is incorrect because conducting meetings only in English may exclude non-native speakers, reducing inclusivity. Option E is incorrect because encouraging adoption of a dominant culture undermines diversity and inclusion.

Answer

Conduct all meetings in English only to avoid misunderstandings

Answer

Encourage team members to adopt the dominant culture's practices to ensure consistency

Question 14

Your project is in the planning phase, and you are developing the team charter. Which THREE elements should be included in the team charter to promote high performance?

Accepted Answer

Decision-making process and conflict resolution approach. The team charter is a foundational document that establishes how the team will operate, not what they will deliver. Including the decision-making process and conflict resolution approach ensures the team has clear protocols for collaboration and dispute resolution, which directly supports high performance by reducing ambiguity and fostering trust.

Answer

The project schedule and key milestones

Answer

Individual performance metrics and goals

Question 15

During a sprint retrospective, the team identifies that unclear requirements from the product owner are causing rework. The team suggests improvements. Which THREE actions should the project manager (Scrum Master) take?

Accepted Answer

Introduce a requirements clarification step before each sprint planning. Options C, D, and E are correct because they address the root cause of unclear requirements: adding a clarification step before sprint planning, implementing one of the team's suggested improvements per sprint, and ensuring the product owner attends all planning and grooming sessions to clarify requirements in real time. Option A is incorrect because adding buffer time does not prevent rework; it only accommodates it. Option B is incorrect because proceeding with best interpretation invites further rework and violates the principle of transparency.

Answer

Add buffer time to the sprint plan to accommodate potential rework

Answer

Instruct the team to proceed with their best interpretation of requirements