PMP People — Leading Projects Practice Question
A project manager is leading a globally distributed team with members in four time zones. During a virtual sprint retrospective, two senior developers accuse each other of not completing tasks on time, causing delays. Emotions are high, and the rest of the team is watching. What should the project manager do FIRST?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates choose Option A (public reprimand) because they mistakenly believe that asserting authority quickly will restore order, but PMP emphasizes servant leadership and private conflict resolution to maintain team cohesion and respect.
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 private video call with both developers to listen to their perspectives and mediate a solution
The immediate priority for a project manager is to de-escalate the conflict privately and understand each developer's perspective before making any decisions. This aligns with the PMI People domain principle of servant leadership and conflict resolution, where the first step is to listen and mediate in a safe, private environment to preserve team trust and psychological safety.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Reprimand both developers publicly during the retrospective for unprofessional behavior
Why it's wrong here
Publicly reprimanding team members, especially during a retrospective intended for process improvement, is counterproductive and severely damages psychological safety and team morale. This approach fosters resentment, discourages open communication, and undermines the project manager's role as a supportive leader, making it difficult to resolve the underlying conflict constructively. Effective conflict resolution requires a private, respectful environment.
- ✗
Escalate the issue to the functional managers of both developers
Why it's wrong here
Immediately escalating a team conflict to functional managers without first attempting direct resolution is premature and bypasses the project manager's primary responsibility for team leadership and conflict management. This action can erode trust within the project team, make the project manager appear ineffective, and potentially complicate the issue by involving external stakeholders before understanding the full context or attempting mediation. Escalation should be a last resort.
- ✓
Schedule a private video call with both developers to listen to their perspectives and mediate a solution
Why this is correct
Scheduling a private video call with both developers to actively listen to their individual perspectives and mediate a solution is the most appropriate and effective conflict resolution strategy. This direct, respectful, and private approach allows the project manager to understand the root causes of the disagreement, facilitate open communication, and guide the team members toward a mutually acceptable resolution, thereby preserving team cohesion and productivity. It demonstrates proactive leadership.
- ✗
Ask the team to ignore the conflict and focus on the upcoming sprint goals
Why it's wrong here
Asking the team to ignore an ongoing conflict and solely focus on sprint goals is an ineffective and detrimental approach to team management. Unresolved conflicts tend to fester, leading to increased tension, reduced collaboration, decreased productivity, and ultimately, a breakdown in team dynamics and trust. Ignoring the issue prevents the team from addressing underlying problems, which will inevitably impact future performance and morale.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Introduction to the PMP Exam and Project Management Basics
Key term
Project Management Plan
A formal, approved document that defines how a project is executed, monitored, controlled, and closed, serving as the single source of truth for the project team.
Key term
Scrum Methodology
Scrum is a lightweight process framework that helps teams deliver complex projects in small, iterative chunks called sprints.
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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.