- A
Assign simpler tasks to the team member to increase their success rate
Why wrong: Assigning tasks contradicts self-organization.
- B
Coach the team member individually to understand the root cause of the missed commitments
Coaching helps identify and resolve underlying issues.
- C
Facilitate a team retrospective to discuss the issue and let the team propose solutions
The team should own its process improvements.
- D
Provide the team member with additional training or pair them with a senior developer
Training and pairing can improve skills and delivery.
- E
Remove the team member from the team and replace them with a more capable person
Why wrong: Removal is a last resort; coaching should be tried first.
Question 382 of 892
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.
Your agile team is self-organizing, but a team member is consistently missing sprint commitments. The rest of the team is frustrated. As a Scrum Master, which THREE actions should you take?
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
✓
Coach the team member individually to understand the root cause of the missed commitments
Option B is correct because as a Scrum Master, your primary role is to coach the team and individuals to improve their performance and self-organization. By having a private, one-on-one coaching session, you can uncover the root cause of the missed commitments—such as unclear requirements, personal blockers, or skill gaps—without embarrassing the team member in front of the group. This aligns with the PMP's emphasis on servant leadership and the agile principle of individuals and interactions over processes and tools.
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.
- ✗
Assign simpler tasks to the team member to increase their success rate
Why it's wrong here
Assigning tasks contradicts self-organization.
- ✓
Coach the team member individually to understand the root cause of the missed commitments
Why this is correct
Coaching helps identify and resolve underlying issues.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✓
Facilitate a team retrospective to discuss the issue and let the team propose solutions
Why this is correct
The team should own its process improvements.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✓
Provide the team member with additional training or pair them with a senior developer
Why this is correct
Training and pairing can improve skills and delivery.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Remove the team member from the team and replace them with a more capable person
Why it's wrong here
Removal is a last resort; coaching should be tried first.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse 'helping the team' with 'fixing the problem for them'—they pick Option A (assigning simpler tasks) because it seems like a quick fix, but the PMP exam rewards the servant-leader approach of coaching and enabling the team to solve its own problems.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
In Scrum, the team is collectively responsible for delivering the sprint goal, and the Scrum Master acts as a facilitator and coach, not a manager. The root cause analysis in a one-on-one coaching session might reveal that the team member is struggling with technical debt, unclear acceptance criteria, or a mismatch between their skills and the sprint backlog items. This approach preserves psychological safety, which is critical for team performance, and allows the team to self-correct through retrospectives rather than top-down task reassignment.
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.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
- →
People — Leading Projects — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this PMP question test?
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: Coach the team member individually to understand the root cause of the missed commitments — Option B is correct because as a Scrum Master, your primary role is to coach the team and individuals to improve their performance and self-organization. By having a private, one-on-one coaching session, you can uncover the root cause of the missed commitments—such as unclear requirements, personal blockers, or skill gaps—without embarrassing the team member in front of the group. This aligns with the PMP's emphasis on servant leadership and the agile principle of individuals and interactions over processes and tools.
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.
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 2026
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