PMP People — Leading Projects Practice Question
During a project's execution phase, the project manager notices that two senior team members are in frequent conflict over technical approaches, causing delays. What is the BEST course of action for the project manager?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently choose to escalate (Option A) or reassign (Option B) because they mistakenly believe the PM should avoid direct involvement in technical disputes, but the PMP exam emphasizes that the PM is responsible for resolving team conflicts through facilitation, not avoidance or unilateral action.
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 meeting between the two team members to discuss and resolve the conflict.
The project manager's role includes facilitating conflict resolution among team members to maintain team cohesion and project progress. By mediating a meeting, the PM addresses the root cause of the delays—technical disagreement—while empowering the team to find a mutually acceptable solution, which aligns with the PMP's emphasis on servant leadership and collaborative problem-solving.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Escalate the issue to the sponsor without involving the team members.
Why it's wrong here
Escalating the issue directly to the sponsor without first attempting to resolve it internally with the involved team members is premature and bypasses the project manager's primary responsibility for team management. This approach disempowers the team, undermines direct communication, and can unnecessarily involve higher-level stakeholders in operational issues that should be handled at the project level. Effective conflict resolution prioritizes direct intervention and facilitation before resorting to formal escalation channels.
- ✗
Immediately reassign one of the team members to another project.
Why it's wrong here
Immediately reassigning a team member due to a conflict is a drastic and often counterproductive measure that fails to address the underlying issue. This action can disrupt project continuity by removing a potentially valuable resource, negatively impact team morale, and signal a lack of commitment to resolving internal team dynamics. Furthermore, it avoids the opportunity to coach team members on conflict resolution skills, which are crucial for long-term team effectiveness.
- ✗
Ignore the conflict and hope it resolves on its own.
Why it's wrong here
Ignoring a conflict and hoping it resolves itself is a passive and ineffective approach that rarely yields positive outcomes. Unaddressed conflicts tend to fester, escalate, and negatively impact team productivity, morale, and overall project performance. A project manager's role includes proactive conflict management to maintain a healthy work environment and ensure project objectives are not jeopardized by unresolved interpersonal issues.
- ✓
Facilitate a meeting between the two team members to discuss and resolve the conflict.
Why this is correct
Facilitating a direct meeting between the conflicting team members is the most appropriate and effective first step for a project manager. This approach embodies the "confronting" or "problem-solving" conflict resolution technique, which encourages open communication and collaborative problem-solving to find a mutually acceptable solution. The project manager acts as a neutral mediator, guiding the discussion to identify root causes and foster a constructive resolution, thereby strengthening team dynamics and project progress.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Introduction to the PMP Exam and Project Management Basics
Key term
Project Team Management
Project Team Management is the process of leading, coordinating, and supporting a group of people to complete project tasks and achieve project objectives.
Key term
Conflict Resolution
Conflict resolution is the process of addressing and resolving disagreements between team members or stakeholders to maintain a productive and collaborative project environment.
About these practice questions
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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.