- A
Move on to the next agenda item to avoid discomfort.
Why wrong: Avoiding the issue does not build a safe environment.
- B
Explicitly invite the developer to share and reassure that all ideas are valued.
Directly inviting and reassuring promotes psychological safety.
- C
Assign the developer a task to present the idea next week.
Why wrong: This may increase pressure rather than reduce fear.
- D
Privately praise the developer for past contributions.
Why wrong: While positive, it doesn't directly encourage sharing in the meeting.
Question 701 of 892
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 team meeting, a junior developer hesitates to share an innovative idea due to fear of criticism. The project manager notices this and wants to foster a culture of psychological safety. What should the project manager do first?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"first"Why it matters: Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
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
✓
Explicitly invite the developer to share and reassure that all ideas are valued.
Option B is correct because the project manager's first action should be to directly invite the hesitant developer to share their idea in the moment, explicitly stating that all ideas are valued. This immediate, public invitation and reassurance directly addresses the fear of criticism and models psychological safety, which is a foundational behavior for fostering an innovative team culture. In the PMP context, this aligns with the 'Servant Leadership' principle and the 'Team Performance Domain,' where the PM actively creates an environment of trust and safety.
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.
- ✗
Move on to the next agenda item to avoid discomfort.
Why it's wrong here
Avoiding the issue does not build a safe environment.
- ✓
Explicitly invite the developer to share and reassure that all ideas are valued.
Why this is correct
Directly inviting and reassuring promotes psychological safety.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "first" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Assign the developer a task to present the idea next week.
Why it's wrong here
This may increase pressure rather than reduce fear.
- ✗
Privately praise the developer for past contributions.
Why it's wrong here
While positive, it doesn't directly encourage sharing in the meeting.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may choose option D (private praise) because it feels like a 'safe' or 'nice' action, but the PMP exam emphasizes that the first step in fostering psychological safety must be a direct, public, and inclusive invitation to speak, not a private, indirect reward.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Psychological safety, as defined by Amy Edmondson, is the belief that one will not be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes. In project management, this is operationalized through immediate, inclusive behaviors like the one in option B, which directly lowers the interpersonal risk for the team member. A real-world scenario where this matters is in agile retrospectives, where a team member's fear of criticism can prevent surfacing critical process improvements, leading to stagnation and missed opportunities for continuous improvement.
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.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
- →
People — Leading Projects — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
- →
People — Leading Projects practice questions
Targeted practice on this topic area only
- →
All PMP questions
892 questions across all exam domains
- →
Project Management Professional PMP study guide
Full concept coverage aligned to exam objectives
- →
PMP practice test guide
How to use practice tests most effectively before exam day
Related practice questions
Related PMP practice-question pages
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
People — Leading Projects practice questions
Practise PMP questions linked to People — Leading Projects.
Process — Managing Technical Aspects practice questions
Practise PMP questions linked to Process — Managing Technical Aspects.
Business Environment — Strategy and Value practice questions
Practise PMP questions linked to Business Environment — Strategy and Value.
Business Environment: strategy and project benefits practice questions
Practise PMP questions linked to Business Environment: strategy and project benefits.
PMP fundamentals practice questions
Practise PMP questions linked to PMP fundamentals.
PMP scenario practice questions
Practise PMP questions linked to PMP scenario.
PMP troubleshooting practice questions
Practise PMP questions linked to PMP troubleshooting.
Practice this exam
Start a free PMP practice session
Short sessions build daily habit. Longer sessions build exam-day stamina. Try a timed session to simulate real conditions.
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: Explicitly invite the developer to share and reassure that all ideas are valued. — Option B is correct because the project manager's first action should be to directly invite the hesitant developer to share their idea in the moment, explicitly stating that all ideas are valued. This immediate, public invitation and reassurance directly addresses the fear of criticism and models psychological safety, which is a foundational behavior for fostering an innovative team culture. In the PMP context, this aligns with the 'Servant Leadership' principle and the 'Team Performance Domain,' where the PM actively creates an environment of trust and safety.
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: "first". Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
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 →
Keep practising
More PMP practice questions
- During a sprint review, the product owner rejects a completed user story because it does not meet the acceptance criteri…
- During a daily standup, a developer mentions she is blocked by a dependency from another team. The issue was not previou…
- A project manager is leading a digital transformation initiative. Midway through the project, a new regulation is introd…
- Your project is a large infrastructure build. You have completed the planning phase, but the sponsor has put pressure on…
- You are managing a software development project using a hybrid approach. During a sprint review, the product owner reque…
- Your agile project has been experiencing declining velocity over the last three sprints. During the retrospective, the t…
Last reviewed: Jun 11, 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.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.