The best approach to resolve conflict between developers with different work styles is to facilitate a meeting to discuss and resolve differences. This is correct because it applies the PMP conflict resolution technique of confronting or problem-solving, which directly addresses the root cause of the disagreement—work style incompatibility—by fostering open communication and collaborative negotiation. On the Project Management Professional PMP exam, this scenario tests your understanding of the project manager’s role as a servant leader who uses interpersonal skills to turn conflict into constructive dialogue, preserving team cohesion and project momentum. A common trap is choosing smoothing or compromising, which only temporarily mask the issue, whereas confronting resolves it permanently. Memory tip: think “Confront to convert conflict into collaboration.”
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.
A project manager notices that two senior developers have conflicting work styles, causing delays. What is the best approach to resolve this?
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.
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 to discuss and resolve differences.
Facilitating a meeting to discuss and resolve differences (D) is the best approach because it directly addresses the root cause of the conflict—work style incompatibility—by fostering open communication and collaborative problem-solving. As a project manager, you act as a servant leader, using conflict resolution techniques like 'confronting' or 'problem-solving' to turn the disagreement into a constructive dialogue that aligns the team toward project goals. This approach preserves team cohesion and leverages the developers' expertise without escalating or avoiding the issue.
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.
✗
Escalate to the functional manager for reassignment.
Why it's wrong here
Escalation should be a last resort; the PM should attempt resolution first.
✗
Ask the team to vote on which style to adopt.
Why it's wrong here
Voting is not appropriate for resolving interpersonal conflicts.
✗
Assign them to separate tasks to avoid interaction.
Why it's wrong here
Avoidance does not resolve the conflict and may cause further issues.
✓
Facilitate a meeting to discuss and resolve differences.
Why this is correct
Direct conflict resolution is a key PM skill.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often choose 'assign them to separate tasks' (C) thinking it's a quick fix to avoid conflict, but the PMP exam emphasizes that avoidance is a temporary solution that fails to resolve the root cause, whereas facilitation aligns with the servant leadership mindset.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Under the PMBOK Guide's 'Manage Team' process, conflict resolution is a key interpersonal skill, with the 'confronting/problem-solving' technique being the most effective for substantive conflicts like work styles, as it seeks a win-win outcome by integrating multiple perspectives. In practice, a facilitated meeting should use active listening and a structured agenda to identify specific triggers (e.g., preference for agile vs. waterfall documentation) and agree on a hybrid approach, such as using a shared Kanban board with defined handoff points. Real-world scenarios show that unresolved work style conflicts can escalate into team dysfunction, increasing project risk by up to 30% in terms of schedule variance, according to PMI's Pulse of the Profession.
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: Facilitate a meeting to discuss and resolve differences. — Facilitating a meeting to discuss and resolve differences (D) is the best approach because it directly addresses the root cause of the conflict—work style incompatibility—by fostering open communication and collaborative problem-solving. As a project manager, you act as a servant leader, using conflict resolution techniques like 'confronting' or 'problem-solving' to turn the disagreement into a constructive dialogue that aligns the team toward project goals. This approach preserves team cohesion and leverages the developers' expertise without escalating or avoiding the issue.
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: "best". 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?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Question Discussion
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