PMP People — Leading Projects Practice Question
A project manager notices that two senior developers are in constant disagreement about the technical approach for a critical feature. The conflict is causing delays and lowering team morale. What should the project manager do first?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates choose Option A (deciding yourself) because it seems quick and authoritative, but the PMP exam emphasizes servant leadership and empowering the team, not imposing solutions.
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
✓
Facilitate a meeting with both developers to discuss their perspectives and find a compromise.
The project manager's first responsibility in a conflict between team members is to facilitate a collaborative resolution. By bringing both developers together to discuss their perspectives, the PM demonstrates servant leadership and leverages the team's expertise to find a compromise, which aligns with the PMP's focus on leading people and managing conflict constructively. This approach directly addresses the root cause—disagreement on technical approach—without imposing a top-down decision or avoiding the issue.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Decide on the technical approach yourself and instruct the team.
Why it's wrong here
This approach demonstrates an autocratic leadership style, which is generally counterproductive in project management, especially with experienced technical teams. It bypasses the expertise of the senior developers, potentially leading to suboptimal technical solutions and significantly diminishing team morale and commitment to the chosen path. A PMP should foster collaboration and leverage team expertise.
- ✗
Escalate the issue to the project sponsor for a decision.
Why it's wrong here
Escalating a technical disagreement directly to the project sponsor is premature and undermines the project manager's role in conflict resolution. Project managers are expected to first attempt to resolve conflicts at the lowest appropriate level, utilizing their negotiation and facilitation skills. Involving the sponsor for an internal team conflict unnecessarily consumes their time and signals an inability to manage team dynamics effectively.
- ✗
Reassign the developers to different tasks to avoid further conflict.
Why it's wrong here
Reassigning developers to different tasks is an avoidance strategy that fails to address the root cause of the technical disagreement. While it might temporarily prevent immediate conflict, the underlying issue remains unresolved and could resurface later or impact other project areas. Effective project management requires confronting and resolving conflicts constructively, not merely sidestepping them.
- ✓
Facilitate a meeting with both developers to discuss their perspectives and find a compromise.
Why this is correct
This option exemplifies a collaborative approach to conflict resolution, which is highly recommended in project management. By facilitating a direct meeting, the project manager enables open communication, ensures both senior developers' perspectives are heard, and guides them toward a mutually acceptable technical compromise. This method leverages team expertise, fosters ownership, and strengthens team cohesion.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Introduction to the PMP Exam and Project Management Basics
Key term
Training and Development
Training and Development is the process of enhancing team members' skills, knowledge, and competencies to improve project performance and achieve career growth.
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.
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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.