The correct answer is to speak privately with the executive to explain the impact on the project and ask them to route requests through the proper channels. This is correct because the project manager must address the root cause of the disruption—executive bypassing the project manager and assigning work directly to the team—by managing stakeholder expectations and enforcing the established change control or product owner process. Unauthorized work creates scope creep, undermines the sprint backlog, and confuses team priorities, which the PM must protect against as part of their responsibility for stakeholder management and team focus. On the PMP exam, this scenario tests your ability to handle difficult stakeholders diplomatically while maintaining project boundaries; a common trap is to immediately confront the executive publicly or reassign the team, which escalates conflict. Remember the mnemonic “P-P-P”: Private conversation, Process enforcement, Protect the team.
PMP People — Leading Projects Practice Question
This PMP practice question tests your understanding of people — leading projects. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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.
An executive stakeholder has been directly contacting your team members and assigning them work that is not in the sprint backlog. The team is feeling pressured and confused about priorities. What should the project manager do?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Speak privately with the executive to explain the impact on the project and ask them to route requests through the proper channels.
Option C is correct because the project manager must address scope creep and priority conflicts directly with the stakeholder who is causing the disruption. By speaking privately with the executive, the PM can explain how unauthorized work impacts the sprint goal, team velocity, and project deliverables, and request that all work be routed through the proper change control or product owner process. This aligns with the PM's responsibility to manage stakeholder expectations and protect the team from conflicting priorities.
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.
✗
Inform the project sponsor about the executive's behavior and ask them to intervene.
Why it's wrong here
While escalation may be needed, the PM should first address the issue directly.
✗
Tell the team to prioritize the executive's requests to maintain a good relationship.
Why it's wrong here
This undermines the sprint plan and team focus.
✓
Speak privately with the executive to explain the impact on the project and ask them to route requests through the proper channels.
Why this is correct
Direct, respectful communication with the stakeholder is the best approach.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Update the risk register to document this as a future risk.
Why it's wrong here
This is reactive; the PM needs to address the current issue immediately.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may choose Option A (escalation) because they think the sponsor has authority over the executive, but the PM should first attempt direct resolution with the stakeholder, as escalation is a last resort and can be seen as a failure of stakeholder management.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
In Agile frameworks, the product owner is the single point of authority for the backlog, and any new work must go through the product owner for prioritization and inclusion in a future sprint. The project manager acts as a servant leader, shielding the team from external disruptions while facilitating communication between stakeholders and the team. A real-world scenario might involve an executive who is accustomed to a traditional command-and-control structure; the PM must educate them on the sprint commitment and the cost of context switching, often using data on team velocity and cycle time to make the impact tangible.
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: Speak privately with the executive to explain the impact on the project and ask them to route requests through the proper channels. — Option C is correct because the project manager must address scope creep and priority conflicts directly with the stakeholder who is causing the disruption. By speaking privately with the executive, the PM can explain how unauthorized work impacts the sprint goal, team velocity, and project deliverables, and request that all work be routed through the proper change control or product owner process. This aligns with the PM's responsibility to manage stakeholder expectations and protect the team from conflicting priorities.
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.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. In a large-scale digital transformation project, the executive sponsor has been bypassing you and giving direct instructions to the development team. The team is confused about priorities and feels caught between the sponsor's requests and the project plan. What should the project manager do FIRST?
hard
A.Update the stakeholder engagement plan to include a communication protocol and ask the sponsor to review it
✓ B.Schedule a private meeting with the sponsor to discuss the issue and agree on a proper communication channel
C.Send an email to the sponsor and the team clarifying that all instructions must go through you
D.Advise the team to ignore the sponsor's instructions and follow the project plan
Why B: Option B is correct because the first step in resolving a conflict with a powerful stakeholder like an executive sponsor is to address the issue privately and collaboratively. By scheduling a private meeting, the project manager can discuss the impact of the bypassing behavior, clarify the confusion it causes, and agree on a proper communication channel that respects both the sponsor's authority and the project's governance. This aligns with PMI's principle of engaging stakeholders proactively and using conflict resolution techniques like 'confronting' or 'collaborating' to find a mutually acceptable solution.
Variation 2. An executive stakeholder has been giving direct instructions to your team members, bypassing you as the project manager. This has caused confusion and conflicting priorities. What is the BEST action to take?
medium
A.Ask the team to ignore any instructions not coming from you
B.Send a memo to all stakeholders restating the project's communication plan
✓ C.Schedule a private meeting with the executive to discuss the importance of following the project's communication protocols
D.Ignore the situation to avoid conflict with the executive
Why C: Option C is correct because it directly addresses the root cause of the conflict—the executive stakeholder's bypassing behavior—through a private, respectful conversation. This aligns with the PMP's focus on stakeholder engagement and conflict resolution, as it seeks to reinforce the project's communication protocols without escalating the issue publicly. By discussing the importance of following the plan, you maintain the authority of the project manager while preserving the stakeholder relationship.
Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
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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.
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