PMP People — Leading Projects Practice Question
During a project to develop a new mobile app, a key team member has been consistently underperforming, missing deadlines, and delivering low-quality work. The team is becoming demotivated. You have had informal conversations with the team member, but performance has not improved. What should you do NEXT?
⚠ Common exam trap
PMI often tests the misconception that immediate escalation or removal is the correct response to underperformance, when in fact the PM must follow a documented progressive discipline process before taking such drastic actions.
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
✓
Initiate a formal performance improvement plan with clear expectations and consequences
After informal coaching has failed, the next step in progressive discipline is to initiate a formal Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) with clear expectations, measurable goals, and defined consequences. This aligns with the PMBOK Guide's emphasis on addressing performance issues systematically before considering escalation or removal, ensuring fairness and documentation.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Ignore the issue and hope performance improves naturally
Why it's wrong here
Ignoring performance issues is a passive approach that violates the project manager's responsibility for monitoring and controlling project work and team performance. This inaction can lead to further project delays, quality degradation, and increased costs, as the underlying problems remain unaddressed. Furthermore, it can indeed erode team morale and trust, as high-performing team members may resent carrying the burden of an underperforming colleague. This approach fails to leverage proactive management techniques.
- ✓
Initiate a formal performance improvement plan with clear expectations and consequences
Why this is correct
Initiating a formal Performance Improvement Plan (PIP) is the most appropriate and professional project management response to address underperformance. This structured approach clearly documents the specific performance gaps, establishes measurable expectations for improvement, and outlines a timeline for review, often including support resources. It provides the team member with a fair opportunity to correct deficiencies while protecting the project's interests by formalizing the process and potential consequences, aligning with the "Manage Team" process in Project Resource Management.
- ✗
Escalate to the functional manager to request a replacement
Why it's wrong here
Escalating directly to the functional manager to request a replacement without first attempting to resolve the performance issue internally is premature and bypasses the project manager's responsibility to manage and develop the project team. This action can be perceived as punitive and unfair, potentially damaging relationships with functional managers and the team member, and may not be supported without documented attempts at intervention. Project managers should first utilize available tools, like coaching or a PIP, before resorting to such a drastic measure.
- ✗
Remove the team member from the project immediately to protect team morale
Why it's wrong here
Immediately removing a team member from the project is an extreme and often unwarranted action that lacks due process and can have significant negative repercussions. Such a drastic measure can lead to legal challenges, damage organizational reputation, and disrupt project continuity due to the sudden loss of institutional knowledge and skills. Without documented attempts at performance improvement or severe misconduct, this approach is neither fair to the individual nor strategically sound for the project or the organization.
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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.