PMP People — Leading Projects Practice Question
During a hybrid project, the product owner frequently bypasses you and gives direct instructions to the development team. The team is confused about priorities, and scope creep is occurring. What should you do FIRST?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates choose to escalate (Option C) immediately, forgetting that the PM should first attempt to resolve the conflict directly with the stakeholder before involving higher authorities.
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
✓
Speak privately with the product owner to explain the impact on the team and request that instructions go through you
The first step in resolving a conflict between the product owner and the development team is to have a private, respectful conversation with the product owner. This allows you to explain the negative impact of bypassing you—such as team confusion, priority misalignment, and scope creep—and request that all instructions be routed through you to maintain the agreed-upon workflow and protect the team's focus.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Speak privately with the product owner to explain the impact on the team and request that instructions go through you
Why this is correct
Speaking privately with the product owner is the most appropriate first step as it demonstrates professional communication and attempts to resolve the issue at the lowest possible level. This direct conversation allows the Project Manager to explain the negative impact of bypassing established communication channels on team morale, workflow stability, and the PM's ability to manage project execution effectively. It also reinforces the Project Manager's role in facilitating team communication and protecting the team from external interference, ensuring instructions are properly prioritized and integrated.
- ✗
Tell the team to ignore instructions from the product owner
Why it's wrong here
Instructing the team to ignore the Product Owner's directives is highly unprofessional and detrimental to project success. This action would create immediate conflict between key stakeholders, undermine the Product Owner's legitimate authority regarding product vision, and foster a hostile work environment. Effective project management relies on collaboration and mutual respect among all stakeholders, not on creating internal divisions or disrespecting a critical project role.
- ✗
Escalate to the project sponsor for resolution
Why it's wrong here
Escalating directly to the project sponsor is a premature action that bypasses the Project Manager's primary responsibility for conflict resolution and direct stakeholder engagement. Escalation should only occur after attempts at direct communication and negotiation have failed, or if the issue poses a significant, unresolvable threat to the project. Immediately involving the sponsor suggests an inability to manage interpersonal issues independently, which is a core PM competency.
- ✗
Update the team charter to include a communication protocol
Why it's wrong here
While updating the team charter to formalize communication protocols is a valuable long-term governance step, it is not the immediate and most effective first response to an ongoing behavioral issue. A charter update is a formal process that takes time and does not directly address the immediate problem of the Product Owner bypassing the Project Manager. The immediate need is for a direct, interpersonal intervention to stop the disruptive behavior and re-establish proper communication flow.
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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.