The answer is to facilitate a meeting between the stakeholder and product owner to clarify the requirements. This is correct because the core issue is a misalignment between the stakeholder’s needs and the product owner’s interpretation of the specifications, not a failure in execution. When a stakeholder is dissatisfied with a deliverable despite meeting specs, the project manager must act as a neutral facilitator to bridge the communication gap, ensuring both parties reach a shared understanding before any changes are considered. On the PMP exam, this scenario tests your grasp of stakeholder engagement and conflict resolution within an Agile framework, often appearing as a trap where candidates mistakenly choose to “update the requirements” or “escalate to the sponsor” instead of fostering direct collaboration. A common memory tip is to remember the “Facilitate First” rule: never assume the specs are wrong until the people behind them have talked.
PMP People — Leading Projects Practice Question
This PMP practice question tests your understanding of people — leading projects. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
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?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "best"
Why it matters: Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
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
Option D is correct because 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.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
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
The PM should not circumvent the product owner's role.
✗
Thank the stakeholder for the feedback but proceed with the current deliverable
Why it's wrong here
Ignoring stakeholder concerns can lead to dissatisfaction and project failure.
✗
Instruct the team to modify the feature to satisfy the stakeholder
Why it's wrong here
Changes should be agreed upon and go through the change control process.
✓
Facilitate a meeting between the stakeholder and product owner to clarify the requirements
Why this is correct
Facilitating communication helps resolve misunderstandings and aligns expectations.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
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.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
In Agile frameworks like Scrum, the sprint review is a time-boxed event for inspecting the increment and adapting the product backlog. The product owner is the single point of accountability for the product backlog items, but stakeholder feedback must be validated against the product goal. Facilitating a meeting ensures that the 'definition of done' and acceptance criteria are reconciled with stakeholder expectations, preventing the team from acting on unvalidated assumptions. This mirrors real-world scenarios where miscommunication about non-functional requirements (e.g., performance thresholds) can derail a release if not clarified early.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A practitioner preparing for the PMP exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this PMP question in full detail.
People — Leading Projects — This question tests People — Leading Projects — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Facilitate a meeting between the stakeholder and product owner to clarify the requirements — Option D is correct because 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.
What should I do if I get this PMP question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "best". Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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