The answer is to facilitate a root cause analysis session to identify impediments and collaboratively find solutions. This is correct because addressing dropping sprint velocity and team demotivation requires shifting the focus from individual blame to systemic issues, such as technical debt or external blockers, which are the typical culprits behind sustained velocity drops in agile. On the PMP exam, this scenario tests your understanding of servant leadership and the project manager’s role as an impediment remover, often appearing in the Agile Practices domain. A common trap is choosing to replace team members or enforce stricter deadlines, which violates agile principles and worsens morale. Remember the memory tip: “Blame the process, not the person”—when velocity drops, dig for root causes, not scapegoats.
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.
In an agile project, the sprint velocity has been dropping for three consecutive sprints. The team is demotivated and blaming each other during retrospectives. What should you do as the project manager?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Facilitate a root cause analysis session to identify impediments and collaboratively find solutions
Option A is correct because the root cause analysis session directly addresses the team's demotivation and blame culture by shifting focus to systemic impediments rather than individual performance. In agile, velocity drops often stem from process issues, technical debt, or external blockers—not lack of effort. Facilitating a collaborative session aligns with the PMI's emphasis on servant leadership and removing impediments to restore team morale and productivity.
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.
✓
Facilitate a root cause analysis session to identify impediments and collaboratively find solutions
Why this is correct
Root cause analysis helps the team address underlying issues and rebuild trust.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Set higher performance targets to push the team to improve
Why it's wrong here
Higher targets without support can demotivate the team further.
✗
Reduce the sprint workload to boost velocity
Why it's wrong here
Reducing workload artificially inflates velocity but does not improve productivity.
✗
Replace underperforming team members
Why it's wrong here
Replacing team members is a drastic step and may not be necessary.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates confuse velocity as a performance metric rather than a planning tool, leading them to choose punitive or superficial fixes like setting higher targets or reducing workload instead of diagnosing the systemic impediments.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Velocity is a measure of work completed per sprint, used for forecasting, not as a performance metric. A sustained drop often indicates systemic issues like increasing technical debt, unclear requirements, or impediments in the continuous integration pipeline. In real-world scenarios, a root cause analysis using techniques like fishbone diagrams or 5 Whys can uncover hidden dependencies or skill gaps that, once addressed, restore sustainable velocity without sacrificing quality.
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.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this PMP question in full detail.
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: Facilitate a root cause analysis session to identify impediments and collaboratively find solutions — Option A is correct because the root cause analysis session directly addresses the team's demotivation and blame culture by shifting focus to systemic impediments rather than individual performance. In agile, velocity drops often stem from process issues, technical debt, or external blockers—not lack of effort. Facilitating a collaborative session aligns with the PMI's emphasis on servant leadership and removing impediments to restore team morale and productivity.
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.
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 →
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. Your agile project team has been consistently delivering high-quality work, but sprint velocity has dropped over the last three sprints. The team reports feeling overworked and demotivated. What should you do FIRST?
easy
✓ A.Facilitate a retrospective to identify root causes and collaboratively develop improvements
B.Reduce the sprint scope to increase velocity
C.Replace the scrum master with a more experienced one
D.Ask the team to work overtime to regain velocity
Why A: Facilitating a retrospective is the correct first step because it empowers the team to collaboratively identify the root causes of the decreased velocity and demotivation, such as technical debt, unclear requirements, or process inefficiencies. This aligns with the agile principle of continuous improvement and servant leadership, where the project manager acts as a facilitator rather than imposing solutions. Addressing the underlying issues through team-driven improvements is more sustainable than forcing scope or personnel changes.
Variation 2. Your agile team has been experiencing declining velocity over the last three sprints. Retrospectives have not identified a clear cause. Several team members mention feeling fatigued and demotivated. As the project manager, what should you do first?
easy
A.Add more team members to the project to distribute the workload
B.Escalate the velocity drop to the steering committee and ask for guidance
✓ C.Schedule individual one-on-one meetings with team members to understand their concerns and identify obstacles
D.Set stricter deadlines and increase velocity targets to motivate the team
Why C: Option C is correct because the first step when facing declining velocity and team demotivation is to engage directly with team members through one-on-one meetings to uncover root causes. This aligns with the PMP's servant leadership approach, where understanding individual concerns and removing obstacles is prioritized before any process or resource changes. The retrospective has already failed to identify the cause, so deeper, private conversations are needed to surface issues like burnout, interpersonal conflicts, or unclear requirements.
Variation 3. Your agile team has been working together for three months, and you notice that sprint velocity has been steadily declining. During the retrospective, team members mention they feel overworked and unclear about priorities. What is the BEST action to take?
easy
✓ A.Facilitate a discussion with the product owner and team to reprioritize the backlog and reduce workload
B.Add more team members to the next sprint to increase capacity
C.Ask the team to work overtime for the next two sprints to catch up
D.Implement a daily stand-up meeting to track progress more closely
Why A: Option A is correct because it directly addresses the root causes of declining velocity: unclear priorities and overwork. By facilitating a discussion between the team and the product owner, you enable collaborative backlog reprioritization and workload adjustment, which aligns with the agile principle of sustainable pace and the servant leadership role of the project manager. This action empowers the team to focus on the highest-value work while reducing burnout, which is the most effective way to restore velocity.
Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
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