PMP People — Leading Projects Practice Test 9 — 15 Questions

Question 1

A project team member from a different culture consistently remains silent during daily stand-ups and rarely contributes ideas. Other team members are frustrated because they feel the person is not engaged. What should the project manager do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Schedule a one-on-one meeting with the team member to understand their communication style and any barriers. Option D is correct because the project manager should first seek to understand the team member's perspective and any cultural or personal barriers before taking action. Directly addressing the behavior in a one-on-one setting aligns with the PMP's emphasis on servant leadership and emotional intelligence, ensuring the root cause is identified rather than assuming disengagement.

Answer

During the next stand-up, directly ask the team member to share their progress and ideas

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Reassign the team member to a solo task where they can work independently

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Inform the team that the member is disengaged and they should not rely on them

Question 2

During a large infrastructure project, the sponsor requests that the project manager skip the final round of user acceptance testing (UAT) to meet the regulatory deadline, stating that the system has passed all previous tests. What should the project manager do?

Accepted Answer

Explain the risks of skipping UAT and propose a formal change request to the schedule or scope. Option B is correct because the project manager must protect the project from risks that could compromise quality or regulatory compliance. Skipping UAT, even after successful earlier tests, could miss critical integration or user-specific defects that only emerge in a production-like environment. The correct action is to explain these risks to the sponsor and initiate a formal change request to adjust the schedule or scope, ensuring any decision is documented and approved through the change control process.

Answer

Delay the deadline by two weeks to conduct UAT as planned

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Conduct a shorter UAT with only critical test cases to save time

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Agree to skip UAT to meet the deadline as the sponsor has authority

Question 3

A project manager is leading a hybrid project where the team uses Scrum for development but has a fixed end date for regulatory compliance. Halfway through, a key vendor informs you that they will be unable to deliver a critical component on time. What should the project manager do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Analyze the schedule to determine the impact on the critical path and identify possible mitigation options. In a hybrid project with a fixed regulatory deadline, the first step when a vendor fails to deliver a critical component is to analyze the schedule impact on the critical path and identify mitigation options. This aligns with the PMI approach of assessing the situation before escalating or making changes, ensuring the project manager maintains control and explores all feasible alternatives to meet the compliance date.

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Adjust the sprint backlog to deprioritize features dependent on the component

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Escalate the issue immediately to the project sponsor and request additional budget

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Initiate legal proceedings against the vendor for breach of contract

Question 4

A project manager notices that one team member has been consistently missing deadlines, and their work quality is declining. The team member is otherwise talented and has been with the company for years. What should the project manager do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Schedule a private meeting with the team member to discuss the performance and offer support. The correct first step is to have a private, supportive conversation to understand the root cause of the performance decline. This aligns with the PMP's 'People' domain, emphasizing servant leadership and addressing performance issues confidentially before escalating. It respects the team member's history and allows for collaborative problem-solving.

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Reassign the work to another team member immediately

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Ignore the issue, assuming it will resolve itself

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Provide negative feedback during the next team meeting as a warning

Question 5

An executive stakeholder bypasses the project manager and directly assigns tasks to a team member, causing confusion about priorities. The team member is unsure which tasks to work on. What should the project manager do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Clarify priorities with the team member and schedule a private meeting with the executive to discuss the communication protocol. Option B is correct because the project manager must first clarify priorities with the team member to resolve immediate confusion, then address the root cause by meeting privately with the executive to reinforce the communication protocol. This aligns with PMI's emphasis on proactive stakeholder management and conflict resolution without public escalation.

Answer

Ignore the situation to avoid conflict with the executive

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File a formal complaint with the HR department

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Politely remind the executive during a meeting that all task assignments must go through the PM

Question 6

A project manager is forming a new virtual team with members from different countries. During the kick-off, the PM wants to build trust and establish norms. Which of the following actions should the PM take FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Facilitate a session to create a team charter that defines communication protocols and values. Option B is correct because a team charter helps set expectations and norms collaboratively. Option A is wrong because scheduling social events is good but not the first step. Option C is wrong because assigning roles without team input may reduce buy-in. Option D is wrong because setting rules unilaterally does not foster team ownership.

Answer

Assign roles and responsibilities based on each member's functional expertise

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Schedule weekly virtual coffee chats to encourage informal bonding

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Send a detailed email outlining the team's ground rules and expectations

Question 7

During a project retrospective, the team identifies that a major risk was not properly mitigated because the contingency plan was not executed on time. The risk event caused a two-week delay. What should the project manager do FIRST?

Accepted Answer

Document lessons learned and update the risk management plan to improve future contingency execution. Option C is correct because lessons learned help prevent recurrence. Option A is wrong because blaming is not constructive. Option B is wrong because updating the risk register is important but should be informed by lessons learned. Option D is wrong because creating a new plan without root cause analysis may be premature.

Answer

Update the risk register to remove the risk since it has occurred

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Identify who was responsible for the contingency plan and address the performance issue

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Create a new contingency plan for the risk, as the original plan failed

Question 8

A project manager is leading a cross-functional team that includes members from marketing, engineering, and finance. The team is struggling with collaboration because each department has different priorities and jargon. What should the project manager do to improve team cohesion?

Accepted Answer

Conduct a team-building workshop focused on communication styles and shared goals. Option B is correct because the core issue is cross-functional collaboration due to differing priorities and jargon, which is a communication and team dynamics problem. A team-building workshop focused on communication styles and shared goals directly addresses these root causes by fostering mutual understanding and aligning the team around common objectives, which is a key leadership practice in the PMBOK Guide's 'Manage Team' process. This approach builds trust and cohesion without resorting to punitive or siloed measures.

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Clearly define each member's role and responsibilities in a RACI chart

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Request that the functional managers replace members who are not collaborating well

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Hold separate meetings with each department to address their concerns individually

Question 9

In a Scrum team, the product owner frequently changes priorities within a sprint, causing the team to abandon work mid-task. The team is becoming demotivated. What should the scrum master do?

Accepted Answer

Coach the product owner on the impact of changing priorities mid-sprint and reinforce the sprint backlog agreement. Option D is correct because the Scrum Master's primary role is to coach the Product Owner and the team on Scrum principles, including the importance of a stable Sprint Backlog. Changing priorities mid-sprint violates the Sprint Goal and undermines team focus, leading to demotivation. By reinforcing the Sprint Backlog agreement, the Scrum Master protects the team from disruption while respecting the Product Owner's authority outside the sprint.

Answer

Escalate the issue to the project sponsor to overrule the product owner

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Shorten the sprint length to two or three days to accommodate frequent changes

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Accept the changes as the product owner has authority over priorities

Question 10

A project manager is leading a distributed team with members in three different countries. The team has been struggling with miscommunication and missed deadlines. The project manager wants to improve team performance. Which TWO actions should the project manager take? (Choose two.)

Accepted Answer

Implement a daily stand-up meeting at a rotating time to accommodate all time zones. Option B is correct because a daily stand-up meeting at a rotating time ensures that all team members across different time zones have an equal opportunity to participate, fostering regular communication and alignment. This directly addresses miscommunication and missed deadlines by creating a predictable, inclusive cadence for sharing progress and blockers.

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Increase sprint length to four weeks to give more time for tasks

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Allow team members to communicate directly with stakeholders without involving the project manager

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Require all team members to work the same hours regardless of time zone

Question 11

A project manager is leading a complex software development project using a hybrid approach. A new regulatory requirement has been discovered that affects the project's scope. The requirement is mandatory and must be implemented before the project can close. Which THREE actions should the project manager take? (Choose three.)

Accepted Answer

Communicate the new requirement to the project team and relevant stakeholders. Option B is correct because in a hybrid project, the project manager must first communicate the new mandatory regulatory requirement to the project team and relevant stakeholders to ensure awareness and alignment before any action is taken. This aligns with the PMBOK Guide's emphasis on stakeholder engagement and transparent communication when scope changes are discovered, especially for compliance-driven mandates.

Answer

Immediately adjust the project budget and schedule to accommodate the requirement

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Assign the new requirement to the development team to start work immediately

Question 12

A project manager is leading a team that is newly formed and includes members from different functional areas. The team is experiencing low trust and reluctance to share ideas. The project manager wants to build a high-performing team. Which THREE actions should the project manager take? (Choose three.)

Accepted Answer

Set clear team goals and define success criteria together. Options A, C, and D are correct. Option A fosters psychological safety. Option C helps build social bonds. Option D clarifies goals. Option B is wrong because it does not involve the team. Option E is wrong because it focuses on individuals rather than team cohesion.

Answer

Provide individual rewards for top performers to motivate competition

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Assign a mentor from outside the team to guide team members

Question 13

You are the project manager for a software development project using a hybrid approach. Two senior developers, Maria and John, have a disagreement about the technical approach for implementing a critical feature. Their conflict is causing delays and affecting team morale. What should you do first?

Accepted Answer

Meet privately with Maria and John to understand each perspective and facilitate a resolution. Option C is correct because, as the project manager using a hybrid approach, your first responsibility is to address the conflict directly by understanding each developer's perspective and facilitating a collaborative resolution. This aligns with the PMP's focus on servant leadership and conflict management, ensuring that technical decisions are made based on merit and team consensus rather than authority or voting, which could undermine team cohesion and the hybrid model's flexibility.

Answer

Escalate the issue to the functional manager to resolve the technical disagreement

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Tell the team to vote on the technical approach and proceed with the majority decision

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Reassign one of the developers to a different task to reduce friction

Question 14

Your agile team has been experiencing declining velocity over the last three sprints. Retrospectives have not identified a clear cause. Several team members mention feeling fatigued and demotivated. As the project manager, what should you do first?

Accepted Answer

Schedule individual one-on-one meetings with team members to understand their concerns and identify obstacles. Option C is correct because the first step when facing declining velocity and team demotivation is to engage directly with team members through one-on-one meetings to uncover root causes. This aligns with the PMP's servant leadership approach, where understanding individual concerns and removing obstacles is prioritized before any process or resource changes. The retrospective has already failed to identify the cause, so deeper, private conversations are needed to surface issues like burnout, interpersonal conflicts, or unclear requirements.

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Add more team members to the project to distribute the workload

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Escalate the velocity drop to the steering committee and ask for guidance

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Set stricter deadlines and increase velocity targets to motivate the team

Question 15

During a project status meeting, an executive stakeholder interrupts and instructs a team member to change a deliverable without going through change control. The team member looks to you for guidance. What should you do?

Accepted Answer

Politely interrupt the executive and explain that changes must go through the formal change control process, then schedule a meeting to discuss the request. Option A is correct because the project manager must uphold the change control process to protect the project's scope, schedule, and budget. By politely interrupting the executive and explaining the need for formal change control, you demonstrate leadership and adherence to the PMBOK Guide's principles. Scheduling a follow-up meeting ensures the request is properly evaluated through the integrated change control process, preventing unauthorized changes that could lead to scope creep.

Answer

Note the request and discuss it with the executive after the meeting

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Send an email to the executive after the meeting explaining the change control process

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Allow the team member to follow the executive's instruction to maintain stakeholder satisfaction