PMP People — Leading Projects Practice Question
During a sprint review, a stakeholder expresses dissatisfaction with a deliverable's feature, claiming it does not meet their needs. The product owner disagrees, stating the feature was built exactly as specified. What is the BEST next step?
⚠ Common exam trap
PMI often tests the misconception that the product owner's specification is always final, but the trap here is that stakeholder dissatisfaction must be addressed through collaborative clarification rather than unilateral action or dismissal.
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 stakeholder and product owner to clarify the requirements
The core issue is a misalignment between the stakeholder's needs and the product owner's interpretation of the requirements. The best next step is to facilitate direct communication between the stakeholder and product owner to clarify the requirements, ensuring that the team has a clear, shared understanding before any changes are made. This aligns with the PMP's emphasis on stakeholder engagement and conflict resolution through collaboration.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Ask the product owner to reprioritize the backlog and add the modification
Why it's wrong here
Asking the Product Owner to immediately reprioritize the backlog and add a modification based on a single stakeholder's feedback circumvents the Product Owner's critical role and authority. The Product Owner is solely responsible for managing, ordering, and maximizing the value of the product backlog, considering input from all stakeholders, not just one. Such a directive bypasses the collaborative process of backlog refinement and the Product Owner's strategic decision-making responsibility for the product's direction.
- ✗
Thank the stakeholder for the feedback but proceed with the current deliverable
Why it's wrong here
Dismissing stakeholder dissatisfaction by merely thanking them for feedback while proceeding with the current deliverable is a critical error in project management. The Sprint Review is a formal opportunity for inspecting the increment and adapting the product backlog, making stakeholder input essential for product evolution. Ignoring valid concerns can lead to significant stakeholder disengagement, unaddressed misalignments with business objectives, and ultimately result in a product that fails to meet user needs, increasing the risk of project failure.
- ✗
Instruct the team to modify the feature to satisfy the stakeholder
Why it's wrong here
Instructing the development team directly to modify a feature based on immediate stakeholder feedback during a Sprint Review bypasses established agile governance and the Product Owner's authority. Any proposed changes, especially those arising from new insights or dissatisfaction, must first be evaluated by the Product Owner against the product vision and backlog. These modifications should then be formally added to the product backlog for proper prioritization and integration into future sprints, preventing scope creep and maintaining team focus on agreed-upon work.
- ✓
Facilitate a meeting between the stakeholder and product owner to clarify the requirements
Why this is correct
Facilitating a direct meeting between the dissatisfied stakeholder and the Product Owner is the most appropriate and effective action. The Project Manager or Scrum Master acts as a facilitator, enabling clear communication and understanding, rather than making product decisions. This approach allows the Product Owner, who owns the product vision and backlog, to directly engage with the stakeholder, clarify requirements, understand the root cause of dissatisfaction, and collaboratively determine the best path forward, which may include adjustments to the product backlog.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Managing Conflicts and Communication
Key term
Stakeholder Engagement
Stakeholder engagement is the process of identifying people or groups who have an interest in a project and actively involving them through communication and collaboration to meet their needs and expectations.
Key term
Training and Development
Training and Development is the process of enhancing team members' skills, knowledge, and competencies to improve project performance and achieve career growth.
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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.