PMP Process — Managing Technical Aspects Practice Question
In a hybrid project, the team has been using both Kanban and traditional planning. The product owner requests that the team focus on completing all work in the current iteration before taking on new tasks. However, the team has been pulling new work as capacity allows. What is the BEST action for the project manager?
⚠ Common exam trap
Watch out — candidates often think the product owner's authority is absolute (Option A) or that productivity alone justifies ignoring stakeholder input (Option B), but the PMP exam emphasizes facilitation and process agreement over unilateral decisions or escalation.
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 product owner and the team to agree on the workflow and update the process accordingly
In a hybrid project, the project manager's role is to facilitate alignment between the product owner's request and the team's workflow. Option D is correct because it promotes collaboration and process improvement by having the product owner and team agree on how to handle work-in-progress limits and iteration boundaries, which is essential for maintaining both Kanban's pull-based flow and traditional iteration commitments.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Instruct the team to follow the product owner's request immediately
Why it's wrong here
Instructing the team to immediately follow the Product Owner's request without facilitating discussion undermines the principles of self-organization and collaborative problem-solving inherent in hybrid and agile methodologies. A Project Manager's role is to facilitate consensus and understanding, not to dictate solutions, which can lead to disengagement and suboptimal outcomes by ignoring the team's valuable perspective on workflow efficiency.
- ✗
Allow the team to continue as they are, since they are productive
Why it's wrong here
Allowing the team to continue without addressing the Product Owner's request, despite current productivity, demonstrates a critical failure in stakeholder management and proactive conflict prevention. Ignoring a key stakeholder's input regarding workflow or value delivery can lead to significant misalignment, erode trust, and ultimately escalate into larger conflicts that impede project success. The Project Manager must ensure continuous alignment between team processes and stakeholder expectations.
- ✗
Escalate to the project sponsor for a decision
Why it's wrong here
Escalating a workflow disagreement directly to the project sponsor is a premature action that bypasses the Project Manager's primary responsibility to facilitate resolution at the team level. A PMP should first leverage their conflict resolution and communication skills to bring the Product Owner and team together to find a collaborative solution. Involving higher authority without attempting internal resolution indicates a lack of initiative and can unnecessarily burden senior management.
- ✓
Facilitate a meeting between the product owner and the team to agree on the workflow and update the process accordingly
Why this is correct
Facilitating a direct meeting between the Product Owner and the team is the most appropriate and effective action for a Project Manager in this scenario. This approach fosters transparent communication, allows for a shared understanding of perspectives and concerns, and enables collaborative problem-solving to agree upon an optimized workflow. It ensures alignment between stakeholder expectations and team processes, promoting buy-in and continuous improvement while upholding agile principles of self-organization.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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