PMP Practice Question: Business Environment: strategy and project benefits
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?
⚠ Common exam trap
PMP often tests the misconception that the project manager should always make decisions or escalate to resolve conflicts quickly, but the exam emphasizes collaborative problem-solving as the first step.
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 best first step is to facilitate a collaborative discussion between the two developers. This approach aligns with PMP principles of conflict resolution, specifically the 'collaborate/problem solve' technique, which aims for a win-win outcome by addressing the root cause. By discussing pros and cons, the program manager enables the team to reach consensus, preserving morale and leveraging diverse perspectives. This also empowers the team and maintains a healthy work environment, crucial for project success.
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
As a PMP, the project manager's role is often more about facilitation and leadership than technical dictation, especially in a hybrid environment where self-organizing teams are valued. Imposing a solution, even with technical expertise, bypasses team collaboration, potentially leading to a lack of ownership, decreased morale, and unresolved underlying issues between the developers. This approach fails to build team capability for future conflict resolution and can foster resentment.
- ✓
Facilitate a meeting with both developers to discuss the pros and cons of each design and reach a consensus
Why this is correct
This option exemplifies a collaborative and problem-solving approach to conflict resolution, which is highly favored in project management, particularly in hybrid or agile contexts. By facilitating a discussion, the project manager empowers the senior developers to present their perspectives, critically evaluate options, and collectively arrive at a mutually agreeable solution. This not only resolves the immediate design conflict but also strengthens team communication, fosters a sense of ownership, and builds trust, aligning with PMI's emphasis on servant leadership and team empowerment.
- ✗
Escalate the issue to the project sponsor for resolution
Why it's wrong here
Escalating a conflict between two senior developers directly to the project sponsor is generally premature and demonstrates a failure to leverage the project manager's own leadership and conflict resolution skills. The project manager is expected to first attempt to resolve issues at the lowest appropriate level, empowering the team to find solutions. Unnecessary escalation can undermine team autonomy, consume higher-level management's time, and reflect poorly on the project manager's ability to manage team dynamics effectively.
- ✗
Replace one of the developers with a contractor to eliminate the conflict
Why it's wrong here
Replacing a senior developer with a contractor is an extreme and highly disruptive measure that should only be considered as a last resort after all other conflict resolution strategies have failed and the conflict is severely impacting project progress. This action does not address the underlying cause of the design disagreement and introduces new risks, such as loss of institutional knowledge, onboarding delays for the contractor, and potential negative impacts on team morale. It's a costly and inefficient way to "resolve" a conflict.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Business Environment and Organizational Alignment
Key term
Training and Development
Training and Development is the process of enhancing team members' skills, knowledge, and competencies to improve project performance and achieve career growth.
Key term
Conflict Resolution
Conflict resolution is the process of addressing and resolving disagreements between team members or stakeholders to maintain a productive and collaborative project environment.
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official PMI exam blueprint
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.