This PMP practice question tests your understanding of people — leading projects. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A key stakeholder has been bypassing the project manager and giving direct instructions to team members, causing confusion about priorities. What should the project manager do FIRST?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "first"
Why it matters: Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Schedule a meeting with the stakeholder to discuss the importance of following the communication plan.
Option A is correct because the first step in resolving stakeholder interference is to address the issue directly with the stakeholder through a meeting, reinforcing the communication plan established during project planning. This aligns with PMI's principle of proactive stakeholder engagement and conflict resolution at the lowest appropriate level, ensuring clarity on roles and reporting structures without escalating prematurely.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✓
Schedule a meeting with the stakeholder to discuss the importance of following the communication plan.
Why this is correct
Direct communication clarifies roles and reinforces the established plan.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "first" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Update the stakeholder management plan to include this stakeholder.
Why it's wrong here
The plan should already exist; updating it doesn't address the immediate behavior.
✗
Report the stakeholder's behavior to the project sponsor.
Why it's wrong here
The PM should first attempt to resolve the issue directly with the stakeholder.
✗
Instruct the team to ignore any instructions from the stakeholder.
Why it's wrong here
Ignoring instructions could harm the relationship and create conflict.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often choose to escalate (Option C) or document (Option B) first, when PMI expects direct, respectful communication with the stakeholder as the initial corrective action, not bypassing the issue through formal channels.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
The communication plan, as defined in the Project Communications Management knowledge area, specifies who can authorize work and how instructions flow. Bypassing this plan creates a risk of scope creep and resource misallocation, as team members may receive conflicting directives that violate the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) and change control processes. In practice, a project manager should first validate the stakeholder's authority level in the stakeholder engagement plan and then use a structured meeting to realign expectations, referencing the RACI matrix if available.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A practitioner preparing for the PMP exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this PMP question in full detail.
People — Leading Projects — This question tests People — Leading Projects — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Schedule a meeting with the stakeholder to discuss the importance of following the communication plan. — Option A is correct because the first step in resolving stakeholder interference is to address the issue directly with the stakeholder through a meeting, reinforcing the communication plan established during project planning. This aligns with PMI's principle of proactive stakeholder engagement and conflict resolution at the lowest appropriate level, ensuring clarity on roles and reporting structures without escalating prematurely.
What should I do if I get this PMP question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "first". Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
This PMP 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 PMP exam.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.