PMP People — Leading Projects Practice Question
During a project status meeting, a sponsor mentions that they have been directly assigning tasks to a team member without going through you. The team member is now confused about priorities. What should you do FIRST?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently choose Option B (escalation) because they assume the sponsor is acting maliciously, but the PMP exam emphasizes first attempting direct, respectful communication to resolve the issue before escalating.
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
✓
Schedule a meeting with the sponsor to review the communication management plan and roles
The first step in resolving a communication breakdown is to address the root cause: the sponsor is bypassing the project manager's authority and the established communication management plan. By scheduling a meeting with the sponsor to review the plan and their roles, you reaffirm the agreed-upon escalation and task assignment processes, which is a proactive, professional approach aligned with PMBOK's principles of managing stakeholder expectations and enforcing the project's governance framework.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Schedule a meeting with the sponsor to review the communication management plan and roles
Why this is correct
This option represents a proactive and professional approach to address a deviation from the established communication management plan. By scheduling a direct meeting, the project manager can respectfully remind the sponsor of the agreed-upon communication channels and roles, reinforcing the importance of adhering to these processes for project efficiency and control. This aims to resolve the issue collaboratively without escalating or creating conflict, ensuring future communications follow the defined protocol.
- ✗
Report the sponsor's behavior to the PMO or senior management
Why it's wrong here
Reporting the sponsor's behavior to the PMO or senior management is a premature and potentially damaging action. Such an escalation, without first attempting a direct, professional conversation with the sponsor, can severely strain the project manager-sponsor relationship and undermine trust. It bypasses the opportunity for direct conflict resolution and might be perceived as confrontational, making future collaboration more challenging.
- ✗
Tell the team member to ignore the sponsor's requests
Why it's wrong here
Instructing a team member to ignore requests from the project sponsor places the team member in an untenable position and directly creates conflict. This approach fails to address the root cause of the communication breakdown, which is the sponsor bypassing established channels, and instead shifts the burden onto the team member. It also risks alienating the sponsor and does not reinforce the project's defined communication protocols.
- ✗
Update the team member's task list to include the sponsor's assignments
Why it's wrong here
Updating the team member's task list to incorporate assignments directly given by the sponsor effectively condones and legitimizes the bypassing of established communication channels. This action undermines the project manager's authority, compromises project control, and sets a dangerous precedent where stakeholders can circumvent defined processes. It fails to address the process violation and can lead to scope creep or unmanaged work.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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