CAPM Practice Question: Project Management Fundamentals and Core Concepts
During project execution, you notice that a key stakeholder, the head of the legal department, has been disengaged from project reviews and has not responded to your emails requesting input on a regulatory compliance issue. The project is at risk of missing a legal requirement that could result in fines. You have classified this stakeholder as having high power and high interest. According to stakeholder engagement best practices, what should you do first?
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
✓
Schedule a face-to-face meeting with the stakeholder to discuss their concerns and the project's needs
For a stakeholder with high power and high interest, proactive engagement is key. A face-to-face meeting (C) is the most effective first step to directly address disengagement, understand their concerns, and re-establish communication. Option A escalates prematurely without attempting direct engagement first, Option B ignores the risk and the stakeholder's input, and Option D is too indirect and may further alienate the stakeholder.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Escalate to the project sponsor to demand the stakeholder's participation
Why it's wrong here
Escalation to the sponsor bypasses the Project Manager's own engagement responsibility and does not address why a high-power, high-interest stakeholder disengaged. It is tempting because sponsor authority can compel attendance, but that is a later step once direct engagement attempts and strategy adjustments have been documented as ineffective.
- ✗
Document the risk and proceed without the legal input, assuming compliance
Why it's wrong here
Proceeding without legal input accepts a regulatory compliance risk that could incur fines, and assuming compliance is not a valid risk response. Documenting the risk is tempting because risk registers capture threats, but the stakeholder's high power and interest demand active engagement to obtain the required input, not passive acceptance.
- ✓
Schedule a face-to-face meeting with the stakeholder to discuss their concerns and the project's needs
Why this is correct
A face-to-face meeting directly engages the high-power, high-interest stakeholder, uncovering the disengagement's cause and securing the regulatory input. This satisfies the immediate need to re-engage the legal head before the compliance requirement is missed and fines arise.
- ✗
Send another email with a deadline for response and escalate if no reply
Why it's wrong here
Emailing again with a deadline repeats the channel that already failed and delays engagement planning; the stakeholder's disengagement itself signals the current approach is inadequate. It is tempting because documented follow-up creates an audit trail, but best practice first reassesses the engagement strategy rather than escalating a non-response.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This CAPM practice question is part of Courseiva's free PMI 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 CAPM exam.