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 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?
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
✓
Facilitate a meeting with both developers to discuss their perspectives and find a compromise.
Option D is correct because 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.
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.
✗
Decide on the technical approach yourself and instruct the team.
Why it's wrong here
Imposing a solution may reduce team ownership and morale.
✗
Escalate the issue to the project sponsor for a decision.
Why it's wrong here
Escalation should be a last resort; the PM should try to resolve first.
✗
Reassign the developers to different tasks to avoid further conflict.
Why it's wrong here
Avoidance does not resolve the underlying disagreement.
✓
Facilitate a meeting with both developers to discuss their perspectives and find a compromise.
Why this is correct
Direct, collaborative conflict resolution is recommended.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "first" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may 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.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
In conflict resolution, the project manager should apply the 'Confronting' or 'Problem-Solving' mode from Thomas-Kilmann's conflict model, which is the most effective for technical disagreements. This involves active listening, ensuring each developer explains their rationale (e.g., performance trade-offs, scalability, or maintainability), and guiding them toward a data-driven decision—such as prototyping both approaches or using a decision matrix. Real-world scenarios often reveal that such disagreements stem from differing assumptions about requirements or constraints, and a facilitated discussion can uncover a hybrid solution that satisfies both parties.
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 with both developers to discuss their perspectives and find a compromise. — Option D is correct because 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.
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.
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Question Discussion
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