PMP People — Leading Projects Practice Test 6 — 15 Questions

Question 1

A project manager is leading a Scrum team. The product owner frequently changes priorities mid-sprint, causing the team to lose focus and miss sprint goals. The team is frustrated. What should the project manager do?

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

Accepted Answer

Coach the product owner on Scrum rules and the impact of mid-sprint changes on team focus. In Scrum, the product owner should not change priorities during a sprint; the sprint backlog is frozen once the sprint starts. The project manager, acting as a servant leader, should coach the product owner on Scrum rules and explain how mid-sprint changes disrupt team focus and jeopardize sprint goals. This aligns with the PMP's emphasis on stakeholder management and agile principles.

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Add a buffer in the sprint to accommodate potential changes

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Ask the team to accommodate the changes since the product owner has authority

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Escalate the issue to the project sponsor to intervene

Question 2

A project manager is building a new project team. Several team members have never worked together before. The project manager wants to accelerate team development and improve collaboration. Which approach is most effective?

Accepted Answer

Organize a team kickoff workshop with icebreakers and create a team charter together. A kickoff workshop with icebreakers and a collaboratively created team charter accelerates Tuckman's forming and storming stages by building trust, clarifying roles, and establishing shared norms and ground rules up front. Co-creating the charter gives team members ownership and reduces later conflict over expectations, which is especially valuable when members have never worked together.

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Assign tasks individually and monitor progress closely

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Send the team to a formal training on teamwork

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Let the team naturally develop norms over time without intervention

Question 3

A project manager notices that two junior team members are struggling with a new technology required for the project. They are frustrated and their productivity is low. What should the project manager do?

Accepted Answer

Provide training or pair them with a mentor to build their skills. The project manager's primary responsibility is to remove obstacles and develop the team's competencies. Providing training or pairing the junior members with a mentor directly addresses the root cause—lack of proficiency with the new technology—while fostering a supportive environment that aligns with the PMI's emphasis on servant leadership and team development.

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Inform the sponsor that the project may be delayed due to skill gaps

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Reassign the tasks to more experienced team members

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Reduce the scope of work for those team members

Question 4

A project manager is managing a large infrastructure project. The lead engineer has a strong personality and often dismisses ideas from other team members during meetings, causing some to withdraw from participation. What should the project manager do?

Accepted Answer

Speak privately with the lead engineer about the impact of their behavior and set expectations for collaboration. The project manager should address the disruptive behavior directly and privately with the lead engineer, focusing on the impact on team collaboration and setting clear expectations for respectful communication. This aligns with the PMP's focus on conflict resolution and team leadership, as direct, constructive feedback is the most effective way to change behavior without escalating conflict or undermining the engineer's authority.

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Redistribute the lead engineer's tasks to reduce their influence

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Ignore the behavior and hope the team members will stand up for themselves

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Schedule a team meeting to discuss meeting etiquette without singling out the engineer

Question 5

A project manager is leading a hybrid project. The team is co-located but the project manager observes that some team members are reluctant to share opposing views during discussions, leading to groupthink. Which TWO actions should the project manager take to foster a culture of constructive debate?

Accepted Answer

Assign one team member to play the 'devil's advocate' in each meeting to challenge ideas. Assigning a 'devil's advocate' systematically introduces constructive challenge, directly countering groupthink by ensuring every idea is tested. Option C is correct because establishing ground rules that reward respectful disagreement creates a psychological safety net, encouraging team members to voice opposing views without fear of reprisal.

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Implement anonymous voting for all decisions

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Make decisions quickly to avoid prolonged debates

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Only ask for opinions from senior team members to streamline discussions

Question 6

A project manager is assigned to a troubled project. The team is divided into two factions: one supports a technical solution A, the other solution B. The conflict is causing delays. The project manager wants to resolve this using a collaborative approach. Which THREE actions should the project manager take?

Accepted Answer

Bring in a neutral external expert to evaluate both options. Bringing in a neutral external expert aligns with the collaborative approach the project manager wants to use. The expert can objectively evaluate both technical solutions A and B based on data and evidence, helping to de-escalate the conflict without taking sides. This fosters a collaborative environment by focusing on facts rather than personal biases, which is essential for resolving the delay-causing faction dispute.

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Make the final decision based on your own expertise to save time

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Implement both solutions in parallel to satisfy both sides

Question 7

A project manager is leading a global virtual team with members in three different time zones. The project manager wants to improve collaboration and ensure equitable participation. Which TWO actions are most effective?

Accepted Answer

Record meetings and require asynchronous input for those who cannot attend live. Recording meetings and requiring asynchronous input ensures that team members in less convenient time zones can still contribute meaningfully without being forced to attend live sessions at odd hours. This approach leverages technology to promote equitable participation and maintains a record for reference, which is critical for global virtual teams where synchronous attendance is not always feasible.

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Schedule all meetings at the project manager's local time for consistency

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Hold separate meetings for each time zone to avoid conflicts

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Assign a single point of contact for each time zone who will represent the team

Question 8

Two senior developers on your project have a heated disagreement about the technical approach for implementing a key feature. They both have strong arguments, and the conflict is delaying the sprint. As the project manager, what is the BEST first step to resolve this conflict?

Accepted Answer

Meet with each developer separately to understand their perspectives before facilitating a joint discussion. It follows the PMI conflict resolution principle of 'collaborate/problem-solve' by first gathering individual perspectives privately before facilitating a joint discussion. This approach ensures each developer feels heard, reduces emotional tension, and allows the project manager to identify the underlying technical merits of each argument without group bias. It is the best first step because it addresses the root cause of the conflict—differing technical opinions—before attempting any resolution or escalation.

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Escalate the issue to the project sponsor for a decision

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Tell the developers to set aside their differences and move forward with the current plan

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Choose the approach that aligns with the project's objectives and instruct the team to implement it

Question 9

During a sprint review, the product owner requests a significant change to a feature that was just completed. The change would improve user experience but would require reworking two sprints' worth of work. The project is already behind schedule. What should the project manager do first?

Accepted Answer

Document the change request and assess its impact on the project constraints before submitting for approval. The project manager must first follow the formal change control process by documenting the change request and assessing its impact on the triple constraints (scope, schedule, cost) before any approval or rejection. This aligns with the PMBOK Guide's Integrated Change Control process, which ensures that changes are evaluated systematically to avoid uncontrolled scope creep, especially when the project is already behind schedule.

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Agree to the change since it improves user experience and ask the team to start rework

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Reject the change because the project is already behind schedule

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Add the change to the product backlog for a future release without adjusting the current sprint

Question 10

Your hybrid project team consists of five local members and three remote members in different time zones. Recently, the remote team members have been missing daily stand-up meetings, and their task completion rate has dropped. When you ask, they say they feel disconnected and their input is often overlooked during the meetings. What should the project manager do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Adjust the meeting schedule to rotate times and use video conferencing with collaboration tools to ensure remote members can contribute. It directly addresses the root cause of disconnection and overlooked input by rotating meeting times to accommodate different time zones and using video conferencing with collaboration tools to foster inclusion. This aligns with the hybrid project management principle of adapting communication methods to ensure all team members can actively participate, which is a key leadership responsibility in the People domain.

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Cancel the daily stand-ups and use asynchronous communication instead

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Record the stand-up meetings and share the recordings with remote members

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Remind the remote team members of their responsibilities and the importance of attending meetings

Question 11

You are the project manager for a construction project. A risk event that was identified in the risk register has just occurred: a key supplier is unable to deliver critical materials on time. The risk response plan includes a contingency reserve. What should you do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Implement the contingency plan as defined in the risk response strategy. The risk response plan already defined a contingency reserve for this specific risk event. When a known risk occurs, the first action is to execute the pre-planned response, not to re-assess or escalate. This aligns with the PMBOK Guide's guidance on implementing risk responses as soon as the risk trigger is confirmed.

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Immediately notify the project sponsor and ask for guidance

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Assess the impact of the delay on the project schedule and then decide

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Ask the supplier to find an alternative source at no extra cost

Question 12

A team member has been consistently missing deadlines for the past three sprints. Their work quality is also declining. You have had informal conversations with them, but the problem persists. What is the BEST next step for the project manager?

Accepted Answer

Schedule a private meeting to discuss the performance issues, identify underlying causes, and agree on an improvement plan. The PMBOK Guide emphasizes addressing performance issues through direct, collaborative communication. A private meeting allows the project manager to explore root causes (e.g., skill gaps, personal challenges, or unclear requirements) and co-create a performance improvement plan, which aligns with the 'Manage Team' process and the principle of servant leadership.

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Escalate the issue to human resources to initiate a replacement process

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Reassign the team member to less critical tasks to minimize impact

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Ignore the issue for now and hope the team member improves on their own

Question 13

In a large-scale digital transformation project, the executive sponsor has been bypassing you and giving direct instructions to the development team. The team is confused about priorities and feels caught between the sponsor's requests and the project plan. What should the project manager do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Schedule a private meeting with the sponsor to discuss the issue and agree on a proper communication channel. The first step in resolving a conflict with a powerful stakeholder like an executive sponsor is to address the issue privately and collaboratively. By scheduling a private meeting, the project manager can discuss the impact of the bypassing behavior, clarify the confusion it causes, and agree on a proper communication channel that respects both the sponsor's authority and the project's governance. This aligns with PMI's principle of engaging stakeholders proactively and using conflict resolution techniques like 'confronting' or 'collaborating' to find a mutually acceptable solution.

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Update the stakeholder engagement plan to include a communication protocol and ask the sponsor to review it

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Send an email to the sponsor and the team clarifying that all instructions must go through you

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Advise the team to ignore the sponsor's instructions and follow the project plan

Question 14

Your project is running 15% over budget at the midpoint. The project sponsor asks you to reduce costs by cutting the quality assurance phase. As a servant leader, what is the BEST response?

Accepted Answer

Explain the risks of skipping QA and propose other cost-saving options, such as reducing scope or using less expensive resources. As a servant leader, your primary responsibility is to protect the project's value and stakeholder interests. Cutting the quality assurance phase introduces significant technical debt and risk of defects, which could lead to rework, schedule delays, and higher costs later. By explaining these risks and proposing alternatives like scope reduction or resource optimization, you demonstrate ethical leadership and a focus on long-term project success.

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Agree to the sponsor's request to reduce costs, as the sponsor has authority over the budget

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Update the risk register to reflect the sponsor's request and proceed without QA

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Refuse to cut QA and continue with the current project plan

Question 15

A new government regulation has been announced that will affect your project's deliverables. The regulation will take effect in three months, and your project is scheduled to complete in six months. What should the project manager do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Assess the impact of the regulation and submit a change request to address necessary adjustments. The PMBOK Guide requires the project manager to first assess the impact of any external change, such as a new regulation, on the project's scope, schedule, cost, and quality before taking action. Only after this analysis should a change request be submitted through the formal integrated change control process to adjust the project plan. Ignoring the regulation or acting without analysis violates the principle of proactive risk management and the change control system.

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Inform the team and continue with the current plan, assuming the regulation may not affect the project

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Fast-track the project to complete before the regulation takes effect

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Ask the legal department to interpret the regulation and wait for their response before acting