PMP People — Leading Projects Practice Test 3 — 15 Questions

Question 1

A project manager is forming a new project team. The team includes members from diverse cultural backgrounds and different functional areas. Which team development model should the project manager use to guide the team through forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning?

Accepted Answer

Tuckman's stages of group development. Tuckman's stages of group development (forming, storming, norming, performing, adjourning) is the correct model because it directly maps to the sequence described in the question. This model is specifically designed to guide project managers through the predictable phases a team goes through when forming, especially when members come from diverse cultural backgrounds and functional areas.

Answer

McClelland's theory of needs

Answer

Maslow's hierarchy of needs

Answer

Herzberg's two-factor theory

Question 2

A project manager is leading a virtual team distributed across three time zones. The team has been performing well, but recently two team members have missed deadlines and seem disengaged. The project manager suspects the cause is related to team member motivation. According to the PMBOK Guide, which theory suggests that people are motivated by achievement, recognition, and growth opportunities?

Accepted Answer

Herzberg's two-factor theory. Herzberg's two-factor theory (also known as the motivation-hygiene theory) distinguishes between hygiene factors (e.g., salary, work conditions) and motivators (e.g., achievement, recognition, growth opportunities). The question specifically points to motivation factors, which aligns directly with Herzberg's motivators. In a virtual team context, the project manager can address disengagement by providing challenging assignments, public recognition, and professional development paths.

Answer

Expectancy theory

Answer

Maslow's hierarchy of needs

Answer

McGregor's Theory X

Question 3

A project team is in the storming stage of development. The project manager wants to help the team move to the norming stage. Which action would BEST support this transition?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a team session to establish ground rules and clarify roles.. The storming stage is characterized by conflict and uncertainty about roles. Facilitating a session to establish ground rules and clarify roles directly addresses the root cause of storming by creating structure and mutual understanding, which is the key to moving into norming where collaboration begins. This action aligns with Tuckman's model and the PM's role as a servant leader.

Answer

Enforce strict adherence to the project schedule to keep the team focused.

Answer

Reassign team members who are causing conflict to different teams.

Answer

Encourage team members to avoid discussing disagreements to maintain harmony.

Question 4

A project manager is leading a cross-functional team that includes members from different departments with conflicting priorities. The project is at risk of delays due to team members not collaborating effectively. What is the best approach for the project manager to resolve this issue?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a team-building session to align on shared project goals and improve collaboration.. Option B is correct because facilitating a team-building session directly addresses the root cause of the conflict—misaligned priorities—by fostering shared understanding and commitment to project goals. This aligns with the PMBOK Guide's emphasis on conflict resolution through collaboration and team charter development, which improves cross-functional cooperation without bypassing the team's autonomy.

Answer

Escalate the issue to the functional managers to enforce collaboration.

Answer

Reassign tasks to individuals based on their department strengths to minimize conflict.

Answer

Request replacement of non-collaborative team members with more cooperative ones.

Question 5

A project manager is leading a globally distributed team with members in different time zones. The team is experiencing communication breakdowns and missed deadlines. Which TWO actions should the project manager take to improve team performance? (Choose two)

Accepted Answer

Implement a shared collaboration tool that highlights time zones.. Option A is correct because a shared collaboration tool that highlights time zones directly addresses the challenge of coordinating across different time zones. By making time zone differences visible, team members can schedule meetings and deadlines more effectively, reducing communication breakdowns and missed deadlines. This is a practical, technology-enabled solution that supports asynchronous collaboration.

Answer

Increase the frequency of status meetings to daily.

Answer

Require all team members to work in a single time zone.

Answer

Assign a single point of contact for each location to relay information.

Question 6

Based on the exhibit, what is the MOST likely cause of the resource issue?

Accepted Answer

The resource is overworked due to excessive overtime.. The exhibit shows a single resource (e.g., a developer or engineer) consistently logging 12–14 hours per day over multiple weeks, with a corresponding drop in productivity and increase in defect rate. This pattern is a classic symptom of overwork and burnout, not a one-time estimation error or scope change. Option D is correct because the data directly indicates the resource is overworked due to excessive overtime, which is the root cause of the resource issue.

Answer

The resource estimation was inaccurate for the tasks.

Answer

Scope creep is causing additional unplanned work.

Answer

The project is behind schedule, forcing overtime.

Question 7

You are the project manager for a software development project using an agile methodology. The team is co-located and has been working together for three months. Recently, you notice that during daily stand-up meetings, the product owner often interrupts the team members to ask detailed technical questions, causing the meetings to run over the 15-minute timebox. Additionally, the team seems hesitant to share progress openly, and some members have started arriving late to the stand-up. The sprint backlog shows that velocity has dropped by 20% in the last two sprints. The product owner insists that the stand-up is the only time they have to get technical updates. What should the project manager do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Coach the product owner privately on the purpose of the daily stand-up and the importance of not interrupting.. Option C is correct because the daily stand-up is a team synchronization event for inspecting progress toward the sprint goal, not a technical Q&A session. The product owner's interruptions violate the event's timebox and purpose, causing the team to withhold information and reducing velocity. The project manager should first coach the product owner privately on the Scrum Guide's definition of the daily stand-up, emphasizing that detailed technical discussions should be deferred to separate sessions.

Answer

Extend the stand-up to 30 minutes to allow time for the product owner's questions.

Answer

Escalate the issue to the project sponsor and request a replacement product owner.

Answer

Remove the product owner from the daily stand-up and provide a written daily summary instead.

Question 8

Arrange the steps for developing a project charter in the correct order.

Question 9

Arrange the steps for controlling project changes.

Question 10

Sequence the steps for managing stakeholder engagement.

Question 11

Match each project management process group to its primary purpose.

Question 12

Match each project management artifact to its typical content.

Question 13

During the execution phase of a construction project, two senior engineers have a heated disagreement over the technical approach for a critical structural component. The conflict is causing delays and affecting team morale. As the project manager, what should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Meet with each engineer separately to understand their perspectives. Option A is correct because the PM should first gather facts privately from each engineer to understand the root cause of the technical disagreement without escalating emotions. This aligns with the PMP's conflict resolution process, which starts with data collection before any collaborative or directive action. Addressing the conflict openly or unilaterally could damage trust and miss critical technical nuances.

Answer

Call a team meeting to resolve the conflict openly

Answer

Make a decision yourself based on your technical expertise

Answer

Ask the sponsor to mediate the conflict

Question 14

You are managing an agile software development team. In the last three sprints, the team's velocity has dropped from 30 to 22 story points. The team members are experienced but seem demotivated. What is the BEST action to take?

Accepted Answer

Conduct a retrospective to identify and address the root causes of the drop. The correct answer is C because the team's velocity drop and demotivation are symptoms of underlying issues that need to be uncovered through a retrospective. In agile, the retrospective is the primary mechanism for continuous improvement, allowing the team to inspect its processes, identify root causes (e.g., technical debt, unclear requirements, or interpersonal friction), and adapt. Reassigning work or replacing team members would bypass the team's self-organization and likely worsen morale, while increasing sprint length treats a symptom without addressing the cause.

Answer

Reassign work to individual contributors to increase accountability

Answer

Increase the sprint length to give the team more time

Answer

Replace two team members with more productive resources

Question 15

Your project is in the middle of execution when a key vendor informs you that they will be unable to deliver a critical component on time due to a raw material shortage. The component is on the critical path. The risk was identified and logged in the risk register with a mitigation plan. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Implement the contingency plan documented in the risk register. The PM should implement the agreed-upon contingency plan as per the risk response strategy. This is proactive and follows the plan.

Answer

Ask the vendor to expedite the delivery at no extra cost

Answer

Immediately source an alternative vendor without formal approval

Answer

Notify the sponsor and request a schedule extension