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PK0-005 A project team is using a Kanban board Practice Question
A project team is using a Kanban board. A work item has been in the 'In Progress' column for two weeks with no updates. What is the best action for the project manager?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates think ignoring the item (Option B) is acceptable in a self-managing team, but the PM must actively address visible blockers to maintain flow and WIP limits.
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Ask the team about blockers and help resolve them.
The correct action is to ask the team about blockers and help resolve them because a work item stagnating in 'In Progress' for two weeks indicates an impediment that violates the Kanban principle of limiting work in progress (WIP) and ensuring flow. The project manager should facilitate removing blockers to restore workflow, not ignore, overload, or delete the item.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Ask the team about blockers and help resolve them.
Why this is correct
A card stalled in 'In Progress' signals a flow impediment, so the project manager should surface the blocker with the team and help remove it. This restores Kanban flow rather than reassigning work or adjusting WIP limits without diagnosing the cause.
- ✗
Ignore it; the team will eventually address it.
Why it's wrong here
Leaving the item untouched lets it accumulate as ageing work in progress, hiding the blockage that a cycle-time or flow metric would expose. It is tempting when the team is trusted to self-organise; ignoring would be correct only if the item were genuinely parked and explicitly flagged as blocked.
- ✗
Add more items to the board to increase throughput.
Why it's wrong here
Adding more items increases work in progress, worsening the bottleneck that is already delaying the stalled item. It is tempting because a fuller board looks productive; adding items would be correct when the team has spare capacity and the constraint lies upstream of the board.
- ✗
Remove the item from the board to keep it clean.
Why it's wrong here
Deleting the item erases the evidence of stalled work and loses any remaining scope, rather than resolving what is blocking it. It is tempting to keep the board tidy; removal would be correct only for a duplicate or cancelled item that no longer belongs in the backlog.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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