PMP People — Leading Projects Practice Question
A project manager is leading a distributed team with members in three different countries. The team has been struggling with miscommunication and missed deadlines. The project manager wants to improve team performance. Which TWO actions should the project manager take? (Choose two.)
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to choose Option A (increasing sprint length) thinking it gives more time for tasks, but this violates agile principles of frequent delivery and inspection, and does not address the root cause of miscommunication.
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
✓
Implement a daily stand-up meeting at a rotating time to accommodate all time zones
Option B is correct because a daily stand-up at a rotating time gives every distributed member a fair share of convenient meeting slots, which sustains regular synchronous communication and surfaces blockers early, directly addressing the miscommunication and missed deadlines. Option C is correct because a team charter explicitly documents communication channels, meeting times, and response-time expectations, establishing shared norms and accountability that reduce ambiguity across countries and time zones. Option A is not appropriate because lengthening sprints does not fix communication gaps and merely delays feedback. Option D is wrong because bypassing the project manager can fragment communication and remove coordination, worsening the problem. Option E is wrong because forcing identical working hours ignores time-zone realities and harms morale and productivity.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Increase sprint length to four weeks to give more time for tasks
Why it's wrong here
Increasing sprint length from a typical two-week duration to four weeks in an agile environment often counteracts the benefits of iterative development. Longer sprints delay feedback from stakeholders and the team, increasing the risk of developing features that do not meet current needs or require significant rework. This reduces the project's adaptability and responsiveness to change, which is particularly critical for distributed teams needing frequent synchronization.
- ✓
Implement a daily stand-up meeting at a rotating time to accommodate all time zones
Why this is correct
Implementing daily stand-up meetings is a core agile practice that fosters regular communication and transparency within the team. For a distributed team spanning multiple time zones, rotating the meeting time ensures equitable participation, preventing any single group from consistently attending at inconvenient hours. This approach enhances team cohesion, identifies impediments promptly, and maintains a shared understanding of progress and upcoming tasks.
- ✓
Create a team charter that defines communication channels, meeting times, and response time expectations
Why this is correct
A team charter is a foundational document that formally establishes operating guidelines and expectations for team members. For a distributed team, explicitly defining communication channels, standard meeting times, and expected response times is crucial for minimizing ambiguity and fostering efficient collaboration. This proactive approach sets clear norms, reduces misunderstandings, and empowers the team to operate autonomously within agreed-upon boundaries, enhancing overall productivity and morale.
- ✗
Allow team members to communicate directly with stakeholders without involving the project manager
Why it's wrong here
While direct communication can sometimes be efficient, allowing team members to communicate directly with stakeholders without involving the project manager introduces significant risks. This practice can lead to unmanaged scope creep, conflicting instructions, and a lack of centralized information regarding stakeholder needs and expectations. The project manager's role includes managing stakeholder communications to ensure alignment with project objectives and maintaining a unified message, preventing potential misunderstandings or unauthorized changes.
- ✗
Require all team members to work the same hours regardless of time zone
Why it's wrong here
Requiring all team members in a distributed environment to work the same hours, irrespective of their local time zones, is highly impractical and detrimental to team morale and productivity. This approach forces some individuals to work during late nights or early mornings, leading to burnout, reduced efficiency, and potential attrition. Effective distributed team management leverages time zone differences for continuous work streams and prioritizes flexible work arrangements to support work-life balance.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.