easyMultiple Choice
PK0-005 Practice Question: A project manager for a marketing campaign project
You are a project manager for a marketing campaign project. The project has just been initiated, and you are working with the sponsor to identify key stakeholders. The project involves multiple departments: marketing, sales, IT, and legal. One of the stakeholders from sales has expressed strong opposition to the project, claiming it will redirect resources away from ongoing sales initiatives. The project sponsor is concerned this stakeholder might try to block the project. What is the first step you should take to manage this situation?
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often think updating the stakeholder register and issue log is the correct first step, but CompTIA tests the understanding that documentation follows engagement, not precedes it, especially when dealing with active opposition that requires immediate interpersonal resolution.
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
✓
Meet with the sales stakeholder to understand their concerns and address them.
The first step in managing stakeholder opposition is to engage directly with the stakeholder to understand their concerns. This aligns with the PMI's stakeholder engagement best practices, which emphasize early communication and issue identification before escalating or documenting. By meeting with the sales stakeholder, the project manager can gather specific details about resource conflicts and work collaboratively to find a resolution, which is critical in the initiation phase of a marketing campaign project.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Meet with the sales stakeholder to understand their concerns and address them.
Why this is correct
Meeting the sales stakeholder directly uncovers the root cause of opposition before escalation, satisfying the stem's requirement for a first step. Understanding concerns enables targeted engagement and possible resolution, whereas escalating to the sponsor or ignoring resistance would inflame the conflict.
- ✗
Update the stakeholder register and issue log, then proceed with the project.
Why it's wrong here
Logging the opposition and proceeding skips any engagement, leaving the blocker unaddressed while the project advances. Registers and issue logs are administrative records used throughout execution; here the immediate need is direct dialogue with the stakeholder to understand and resolve the concern.
- ✗
Ask the sales department manager to replace the stakeholder.
Why it's wrong here
Replacing the stakeholder removes their voice without addressing the resource conflict driving their opposition, so the concern resurfaces elsewhere. Replacement is a last resort after engagement and analysis fail; the first step is understanding and managing the stakeholder, not removing them.
- ✗
Inform the sponsor that the stakeholder will be removed from the project.
Why it's wrong here
Telling the sponsor the stakeholder will be removed escalates without authority or analysis, and the sponsor cannot simply eliminate a departmental peer. Removal follows documented, repeated obstruction; the first step is engaging the stakeholder to understand and address their resource concerns.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This PK0-005 practice question is part of Courseiva's free CompTIA certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the PK0-005 exam.