- A
Make a decision yourself based on your technical expertise to resolve the conflict quickly
Why wrong: Imposing a solution without team buy-in can lead to resentment and does not address underlying issues.
- B
Facilitate a meeting with both developers to discuss the pros and cons of each design and reach a consensus
Facilitating collaboration is a proactive approach that empowers the team and aligns with PMI conflict resolution principles.
- C
Escalate the issue to the project sponsor for resolution
Why wrong: The PM should try to resolve the conflict at the team level before escalating.
- D
Replace one of the developers with a contractor to eliminate the conflict
Why wrong: Replacing team members is a drastic measure that should be a last resort and does not address the root cause.
Quick Answer
The answer is to facilitate a meeting with both developers to discuss the pros and cons of each design and reach a consensus. This is the correct first step because, as a program manager, your role is to guide collaborative conflict resolution rather than impose a solution, which aligns with PMI’s emphasis on stakeholder engagement and the hybrid approach’s need for adaptive leadership. On the PMP exam, this scenario tests your understanding of conflict management techniques, specifically the “collaborate/problem-solve” method, which is the preferred approach for technical disagreements that affect team morale and schedule. A common trap is choosing to escalate to a sponsor or make an executive decision yourself, but the exam expects you to first facilitate a discussion to leverage the developers’ expertise and build consensus. Remember the mnemonic “FACTS”: Facilitate, Analyze, Collaborate, Then Solve—always start with facilitation before escalating.
PMP Practice Question: Business Environment: strategy and project benefits
This PMP practice question tests your understanding of business environment: strategy and project benefits. 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.
In a large program using a hybrid approach, two senior developers have a conflict over the technical design of a critical component. The disagreement is causing delays and affecting team morale. As the program manager, what is the best first 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.
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
Facilitate a meeting with both developers to discuss the pros and cons of each design and reach a consensus
The PM should facilitate a collaborative resolution by engaging both parties in a constructive discussion. This aligns with PMI's emphasis on conflict resolution and stakeholder engagement.
Key principle: NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Make a decision yourself based on your technical expertise to resolve the conflict quickly
Why it's wrong here
Imposing a solution without team buy-in can lead to resentment and does not address underlying issues.
- ✓
Facilitate a meeting with both developers to discuss the pros and cons of each design and reach a consensus
Why this is correct
Facilitating collaboration is a proactive approach that empowers the team and aligns with PMI conflict resolution principles.
Clue confirmation
The clue words "best", "first" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
- ✗
Escalate the issue to the project sponsor for resolution
Why it's wrong here
The PM should try to resolve the conflict at the team level before escalating.
- ✗
Replace one of the developers with a contractor to eliminate the conflict
Why it's wrong here
Replacing team members is a drastic measure that should be a last resort and does not address the root cause.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: NAT rules depend on direction and matching traffic
NAT is not only about the public address. The inside/outside interface roles and the ACL or rule that matches traffic are just as important.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
NAT questions usually test address translation, overload/PAT behaviour, static mappings and whether the right traffic is being translated. Read the interface direction and address terms carefully.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
- PAT allows many inside hosts to share one public address using ports.
- Inside local and inside global describe the private and translated addresses.
- NAT ACLs identify traffic for translation, not always security filtering.
TExam Day Tips
- Identify inside and outside interfaces first.
- Check whether the scenario needs static NAT, dynamic NAT or PAT.
- Do not confuse NAT matching ACLs with normal packet-filtering intent.
Key takeaway
NAT direction and interface roles matter as much as the IP address mapping. Inside/outside designation controls which traffic is translated.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A small business has 20 workstations on the 192.168.1.0/24 network and one public IP from its ISP. The router uses PAT (NAT overload) so all 20 devices share one public address using different source ports. NAT questions test whether you understand the four address terms and which direction each translation applies.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related PMP NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
- →
Business Environment: strategy and project benefits — 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?
Business Environment: strategy and project benefits — This question tests Business Environment: strategy and project benefits — Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Facilitate a meeting with both developers to discuss the pros and cons of each design and reach a consensus — The PM should facilitate a collaborative resolution by engaging both parties in a constructive discussion. This aligns with PMI's emphasis on conflict resolution and stakeholder engagement.
What should I do if I get this PMP question wrong?
Review the four NAT address types (inside local, inside global, outside local, outside global), PAT port overload, and static vs dynamic NAT use cases. Then practise related PMP NAT questions on configuration and troubleshooting.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "best", "first". 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?
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
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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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