- A
Support the product owner's decision and remind the developer to adhere to the agreed acceptance criteria in the future
The PM should reinforce the product owner's authority and discourage gold-plating.
- B
Escalate to the project sponsor to resolve the disagreement between the developer and the product owner
Why wrong: Escalation is premature; the PM should first address the issue within the team structure.
- C
Allow the developer to present the technical benefits and let the team vote on whether to keep the implementation
Why wrong: Decisions on acceptance criteria are the product owner's responsibility, not a team vote.
- D
Suggest that the team rework the story to match the acceptance criteria while still incorporating the superior implementation
Why wrong: This still involves gold-plating; the team should strictly follow the acceptance criteria.
Quick Answer
The correct answer is to support the product owner’s decision and remind the developer to adhere to the agreed acceptance criteria in the future. This is because the product owner holds the authority to define and validate acceptance criteria, which serve as the contractual benchmark for a user story’s completion; any deviation, even if technically superior, constitutes gold-plating and undermines the agreed scope. On the Project Management Professional PMP exam, this scenario tests your understanding of the product owner’s role in agile frameworks and the importance of scope control, often appearing as a trap where a developer’s defensiveness or technical pride might tempt you to compromise the criteria. A common memory tip is to remember that the acceptance criteria are the “law of the sprint”—the product owner is the judge, not the developer.
PMP People — Leading Projects Practice Question
This PMP practice question tests your understanding of people — leading projects. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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, the product owner rejects a user story because it does not meet the acceptance criteria. The developer who worked on it becomes defensive and argues that the implementation is technically superior to what was requested. What should the project manager do?
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
Support the product owner's decision and remind the developer to adhere to the agreed acceptance criteria in the future
Option B is correct because the product owner is the authority on acceptance criteria. Gold-plating is not acceptable. Option A would continue the argument. Option C is wrong because the team should deliver what was requested. Option D escalates unnecessarily.
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.
- ✓
Support the product owner's decision and remind the developer to adhere to the agreed acceptance criteria in the future
Why this is correct
The PM should reinforce the product owner's authority and discourage gold-plating.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Escalate to the project sponsor to resolve the disagreement between the developer and the product owner
Why it's wrong here
Escalation is premature; the PM should first address the issue within the team structure.
- ✗
Allow the developer to present the technical benefits and let the team vote on whether to keep the implementation
Why it's wrong here
Decisions on acceptance criteria are the product owner's responsibility, not a team vote.
- ✗
Suggest that the team rework the story to match the acceptance criteria while still incorporating the superior implementation
Why it's wrong here
This still involves gold-plating; the team should strictly follow the acceptance criteria.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
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.
- Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
- Underline the problem statement mentally.
- 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.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which PMP exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
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People — Leading Projects — study guide chapter
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this PMP question test?
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: Support the product owner's decision and remind the developer to adhere to the agreed acceptance criteria in the future — Option B is correct because the product owner is the authority on acceptance criteria. Gold-plating is not acceptable. Option A would continue the argument. Option C is wrong because the team should deliver what was requested. Option D escalates unnecessarily.
What should I do if I get this PMP question wrong?
Identify which PMP exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Same concept, more angles
2 more ways this is tested on PMP
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. During a sprint review, the product owner rejects a user story because it does not meet their expectations, even though the team followed the acceptance criteria. The team is frustrated. What should you do FIRST?
hard- A.Ask the team to rework the story based on the product owner's feedback without further discussion
- ✓ B.Facilitate a meeting between the product owner and the team to clarify the acceptance criteria and align expectations
- C.Appeal to the project sponsor to mediate the disagreement
- D.Add the story back to the product backlog for future prioritization
Why B: Option B is correct because the immediate conflict stems from a misalignment between the acceptance criteria and the product owner's expectations. As a servant leader, the first step is to facilitate a meeting between the product owner and the team to clarify the acceptance criteria and ensure a shared understanding, which directly addresses the root cause of the frustration without escalating or ignoring the issue.
Variation 2. During a sprint review, the product owner rejects a user story because it does not meet the acceptance criteria. The developer who completed the story argues that the functionality is sufficient and that the criteria were too strict. Both parties escalate to you. What should you do FIRST?
medium- A.Ask the team to redo the story to strictly meet the criteria without further discussion
- B.Accept the story as is and move on to avoid delaying the sprint
- ✓ C.Schedule a meeting with both parties to review the acceptance criteria and discuss expectations
- D.Support the developer and ask the product owner to relax the criteria
Why C: The acceptance criteria are part of the definition of done agreed upon with the product owner. The PM should clarify expectations and facilitate a conversation to reach a mutual understanding, potentially updating the criteria if needed.
Last reviewed: Jun 21, 2026
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.
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