- A
Immediately decide on the technical approach yourself to end the argument
Why wrong: The PM should not impose a solution without hearing both perspectives; this undermines team empowerment and may not be the best technical decision.
- B
Tell both developers to resolve the issue on their own and report back
Why wrong: This abdicates the PM's responsibility to manage conflict and may lead to unresolved issues affecting the project.
- C
Escalate the issue to the project sponsor for resolution
Why wrong: Escalation is premature; the PM should first attempt to resolve the conflict within the team.
- D
Acknowledge the disagreement and schedule a separate meeting with both developers to discuss and resolve the issue
This addresses the conflict directly while keeping the stand-up productive. The PM acts as a facilitator to resolve the technical disagreement.
Quick Answer
The correct first step is to acknowledge the disagreement and schedule a separate meeting with both developers to resolve the issue. This approach is grounded in the core principle of servant leadership and conflict resolution within agile frameworks, where the daily stand-up is strictly for synchronization, not problem-solving. By de-escalating the argument and deferring the technical debate, you preserve the stand-up’s purpose and prevent team tension from escalating. On the PMP exam, this scenario tests your understanding of conflict management techniques and the facilitator role of a project manager in a hybrid environment. A common trap is choosing to let the argument continue or unilaterally deciding the technical approach, which undermines team collaboration and violates agile ceremonies. Remember the memory tip: “Acknowledge, then adjourn” — validate the concern, but move the deep dive to a separate forum.
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.
You are leading a hybrid project team consisting of both colocated and remote members. During a daily stand-up, two senior developers have a heated argument about the technical approach for a critical feature. The argument disrupts the meeting and creates tension. What should you 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
Acknowledge the disagreement and schedule a separate meeting with both developers to discuss and resolve the issue
Option D is correct because, as a project manager leading a hybrid team, your first responsibility is to de-escalate the conflict and create a structured environment for resolution without disrupting the daily stand-up. Acknowledging the disagreement preserves team dynamics and ensures the technical decision is made collaboratively, leveraging both developers' expertise rather than imposing a unilateral solution. Scheduling a separate meeting allows focused discussion, preventing the stand-up from losing its purpose of synchronization.
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.
- ✗
Immediately decide on the technical approach yourself to end the argument
Why it's wrong here
The PM should not impose a solution without hearing both perspectives; this undermines team empowerment and may not be the best technical decision.
- ✗
Tell both developers to resolve the issue on their own and report back
Why it's wrong here
This abdicates the PM's responsibility to manage conflict and may lead to unresolved issues affecting the project.
- ✗
Escalate the issue to the project sponsor for resolution
Why it's wrong here
Escalation is premature; the PM should first attempt to resolve the conflict within the team.
- ✓
Acknowledge the disagreement and schedule a separate meeting with both developers to discuss and resolve the issue
Why this is correct
This addresses the conflict directly while keeping the stand-up productive. The PM acts as a facilitator to resolve the technical disagreement.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "first" 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
The trap here is that candidates may confuse 'servant leadership' with 'direct intervention' (Option A) or 'delegation' (Option B), failing to recognize that the PM's first step is to acknowledge and contain the conflict before facilitating a resolution.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
In hybrid project environments, daily stand-ups are time-boxed to 15 minutes and focus on progress, not problem-solving. Allowing a heated argument to continue violates the Scrum principle of keeping the meeting for status updates. By scheduling a separate meeting, you apply the 'parking lot' technique, which preserves the stand-up's cadence while ensuring the technical debate gets the dedicated time it needs for root-cause analysis, such as evaluating trade-offs between architectural patterns like microservices vs. monoliths.
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.
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People — Leading Projects — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
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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: Acknowledge the disagreement and schedule a separate meeting with both developers to discuss and resolve the issue — Option D is correct because, as a project manager leading a hybrid team, your first responsibility is to de-escalate the conflict and create a structured environment for resolution without disrupting the daily stand-up. Acknowledging the disagreement preserves team dynamics and ensures the technical decision is made collaboratively, leveraging both developers' expertise rather than imposing a unilateral solution. Scheduling a separate meeting allows focused discussion, preventing the stand-up from losing its purpose of synchronization.
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.
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 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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