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 project manager is leading a cross-functional team where two key members have conflicting priorities. One member insists on following a strict process, while the other wants to expedite delivery. The project manager needs to resolve the conflict to keep the project on track. Which approach is most effective?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Facilitate a meeting to discuss both perspectives and find a solution that meets core needs.
Option C is correct because facilitating a meeting to discuss both perspectives aligns with the PMP's 'Manage Conflict' process under the 'People' domain. This collaborative approach, known as 'collaborating' or 'problem-solving,' seeks a win-win solution that addresses the core needs of both team members—ensuring quality while meeting delivery timelines—without forcing a compromise that dilutes value or ignoring the issue.
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.
✗
Enforce the strict process to ensure quality.
Why it's wrong here
Forcing may escalate conflict and reduce collaboration.
✗
Suggest a compromise where both give up some requirements.
Why it's wrong here
Compromise may not fully satisfy either party and could lead to suboptimal outcomes.
✓
Facilitate a meeting to discuss both perspectives and find a solution that meets core needs.
Why this is correct
Collaborating/confronting aims for a win-win and is the recommended approach.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Ignore the conflict and hope it resolves itself.
Why it's wrong here
Avoidance leads to unresolved issues and potential project delays.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often choose Option B (compromise) as a 'fair' middle ground, but the PMP exam emphasizes that compromise (lose-lose) is less effective than collaboration (win-win) for resolving conflicts in high-stakes projects.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the hood, this scenario reflects the 'Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument,' where 'collaborating' (high assertiveness, high cooperativeness) is the most effective for complex, cross-functional projects. In real-world agile environments, a facilitated meeting can use techniques like 'root cause analysis' to identify underlying interests (e.g., quality assurance vs. time-to-market) and then apply 'trade-off analysis' to adjust scope, resources, or processes—such as implementing automated testing to maintain quality while accelerating delivery.
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: Facilitate a meeting to discuss both perspectives and find a solution that meets core needs. — Option C is correct because facilitating a meeting to discuss both perspectives aligns with the PMP's 'Manage Conflict' process under the 'People' domain. This collaborative approach, known as 'collaborating' or 'problem-solving,' seeks a win-win solution that addresses the core needs of both team members—ensuring quality while meeting delivery timelines—without forcing a compromise that dilutes value or ignoring the issue.
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.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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