- A
Facilitate a root cause analysis session to identify impediments and collaboratively find solutions
Root cause analysis helps the team address underlying issues and rebuild trust.
- B
Set higher performance targets to push the team to improve
Why wrong: Higher targets without support can demotivate the team further.
- C
Reduce the sprint workload to boost velocity
Why wrong: Reducing workload artificially inflates velocity but does not improve productivity.
- D
Replace underperforming team members
Why wrong: Replacing team members is a drastic step and may not be necessary.
Question 265 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.
In an agile project, the sprint velocity has been dropping for three consecutive sprints. The team is demotivated and blaming each other during retrospectives. What should you do as the project manager?
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 root cause analysis session to identify impediments and collaboratively find solutions
Option A is correct because the root cause analysis session directly addresses the team's demotivation and blame culture by shifting focus to systemic impediments rather than individual performance. In agile, velocity drops often stem from process issues, technical debt, or external blockers—not lack of effort. Facilitating a collaborative session aligns with the PMI's emphasis on servant leadership and removing impediments to restore team morale and productivity.
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.
- ✓
Facilitate a root cause analysis session to identify impediments and collaboratively find solutions
Why this is correct
Root cause analysis helps the team address underlying issues and rebuild trust.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Set higher performance targets to push the team to improve
Why it's wrong here
Higher targets without support can demotivate the team further.
- ✗
Reduce the sprint workload to boost velocity
Why it's wrong here
Reducing workload artificially inflates velocity but does not improve productivity.
- ✗
Replace underperforming team members
Why it's wrong here
Replacing team members is a drastic step and may not be necessary.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse velocity as a performance metric rather than a planning tool, leading them to choose punitive or superficial fixes like setting higher targets or reducing workload instead of diagnosing the systemic impediments.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Velocity is a measure of work completed per sprint, used for forecasting, not as a performance metric. A sustained drop often indicates systemic issues like increasing technical debt, unclear requirements, or impediments in the continuous integration pipeline. In real-world scenarios, a root cause analysis using techniques like fishbone diagrams or 5 Whys can uncover hidden dependencies or skill gaps that, once addressed, restore sustainable velocity without sacrificing quality.
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: Facilitate a root cause analysis session to identify impediments and collaboratively find solutions — Option A is correct because the root cause analysis session directly addresses the team's demotivation and blame culture by shifting focus to systemic impediments rather than individual performance. In agile, velocity drops often stem from process issues, technical debt, or external blockers—not lack of effort. Facilitating a collaborative session aligns with the PMI's emphasis on servant leadership and removing impediments to restore team morale and productivity.
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: Jun 24, 2026
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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