The correct first step is to work with the team member and IT to provide necessary tools and support. This is because the root cause of the remote team performance issue is environmental—a lack of collaboration tools and a poor work-from-home setup—rather than a deficiency in skill or motivation. As a project manager, your primary duty under the servant leadership model is to remove impediments and enable the team to succeed, which directly aligns with the PMI’s emphasis on proactive problem-solving over punitive measures. On the Project Management Professional PMP exam, this scenario tests your ability to distinguish between performance issues caused by external barriers versus those caused by personal accountability; a common trap is jumping to coaching or disciplinary action before investigating the underlying cause. Remember the memory tip: “Tools before rules”—always address environmental blockers first to restore team velocity.
PMP People — Leading Projects Practice Question
This PMP practice question tests your understanding of people — leading projects. The scenario asks you to isolate a root cause — eliminate options that address a different problem before choosing. 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 managing a global project with team members in three time zones. A key team member from the India office has been consistently missing deadlines, impacting the project's critical path. In a one-on-one meeting, you discover she is struggling with the work-from-home setup and lack of collaboration tools. 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 the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Work with the team member and IT to provide necessary tools and support
The correct first step is to address the root cause of the performance issue by providing the necessary tools and support. As a project manager, your primary responsibility is to remove impediments and enable the team member to succeed, especially when the issue is environmental (lack of collaboration tools) rather than a lack of skill or will. This aligns with the PMI's focus on servant leadership and proactive problem-solving.
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.
✓
Work with the team member and IT to provide necessary tools and support
Why this is correct
Removing obstacles is a key PM responsibility, especially for remote teams.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "first" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Initiate a formal performance improvement plan
Why it's wrong here
This is appropriate only if the issue persists after support is provided.
✗
Reassign her tasks to other team members
Why it's wrong here
This may overload others and does not address the root cause.
✗
Escalate to the functional manager to reassign the team member
Why it's wrong here
Reassignment should be a last resort after support has been tried.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often jump to punitive or escalatory actions (like a performance improvement plan or reassignment) without first attempting to remove the impediment, confusing a resource constraint with a performance issue.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
In a global project with distributed teams, collaboration tools (e.g., Slack, Microsoft Teams, Jira, or VPN access) are critical for maintaining communication and workflow. The project manager should first conduct a root cause analysis (e.g., using a fishbone diagram) to confirm the issue is environmental, then work with IT to provision the required tools, often involving a change request if the tools are not in the project budget. This approach preserves team morale and avoids unnecessary escalations, which is a key principle in the PMBOK Guide's 'Manage Team' process.
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 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.
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: Work with the team member and IT to provide necessary tools and support — The correct first step is to address the root cause of the performance issue by providing the necessary tools and support. As a project manager, your primary responsibility is to remove impediments and enable the team member to succeed, especially when the issue is environmental (lack of collaboration tools) rather than a lack of skill or will. This aligns with the PMI's focus on servant leadership and proactive problem-solving.
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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Question Discussion
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