- A
Use a collaborative problem-solving approach to find a win-win solution
Collaboration aims to satisfy both parties' interests and strengthens the team.
- B
Meet individually with each team member to understand their perspective
Private meetings allow you to understand each viewpoint without group pressure.
- C
Escalate the conflict to the project sponsor for resolution
Why wrong: The PM should first attempt to resolve the conflict before escalating.
- D
Facilitate a joint meeting to discuss the issue and encourage open communication
Facilitated discussion helps both parties express their views and work towards a solution.
- E
Make a unilateral decision on the technical approach to end the conflict quickly
Why wrong: This may suppress the conflict but not resolve underlying issues, and can harm team morale.
Quick Answer
The answer is to facilitate a joint meeting to discuss the issue and encourage open communication, as this directly applies collaborative problem-solving to resolve the conflict between senior team members. This technique is correct because it seeks a win-win solution that addresses the root cause of differing technical opinions, preserving team relationships and leveraging diverse expertise to improve the approach—key principles in the PMP’s emphasis on conflict resolution. On the Project Management Professional PMP exam, this scenario tests your ability to choose collaborative problem-solving over forcing or smoothing, which are common traps that damage long-term morale. The search intent for resolving conflict between senior team members often focuses on private meetings first, but the PMP prioritizes joint sessions when the conflict affects the entire team, as morale damage requires transparent, shared ownership. Remember the mnemonic “Joint for Joy” to recall that joint problem-solving, not private side talks, is the correct path when team morale is at stake.
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.
Your project team is experiencing conflict between two senior members who have different opinions on the technical approach. The conflict is starting to affect the entire team's morale. Which THREE actions should you take to resolve the conflict effectively?
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
Use a collaborative problem-solving approach to find a win-win solution
Option A is correct because collaborative problem-solving directly addresses the root cause of the conflict by seeking a win-win solution that satisfies both senior members' technical concerns. This approach aligns with the PMP's emphasis on conflict resolution techniques that preserve team relationships and leverage diverse expertise to improve the technical approach. By focusing on mutual gains, you avoid the morale damage of a win-lose outcome and foster a culture of shared ownership.
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.
- ✓
Use a collaborative problem-solving approach to find a win-win solution
Why this is correct
Collaboration aims to satisfy both parties' interests and strengthens the team.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✓
Meet individually with each team member to understand their perspective
Why this is correct
Private meetings allow you to understand each viewpoint without group pressure.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Escalate the conflict to the project sponsor for resolution
Why it's wrong here
The PM should first attempt to resolve the conflict before escalating.
- ✓
Facilitate a joint meeting to discuss the issue and encourage open communication
Why this is correct
Facilitated discussion helps both parties express their views and work towards a solution.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Make a unilateral decision on the technical approach to end the conflict quickly
Why it's wrong here
This may suppress the conflict but not resolve underlying issues, and can harm team morale.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often choose escalation (C) or unilateral decision (E) because they seem faster or more decisive, but the PMP exam rewards collaborative techniques that preserve team cohesion and leverage collective expertise, even when they require more time upfront.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Collaborative problem-solving, also known as 'confronting' or 'integrating' in conflict resolution models, involves identifying the underlying interests behind each party's position—such as performance, maintainability, or scalability—and then brainstorming options that satisfy both. This technique is particularly effective in technical disputes because it transforms a zero-sum argument into a design exploration, often revealing hybrid solutions that neither member had considered. In practice, this might involve prototyping both approaches to measure trade-offs against agreed-upon criteria like latency or code complexity.
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.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
- →
People — Leading Projects — 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?
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: Use a collaborative problem-solving approach to find a win-win solution — Option A is correct because collaborative problem-solving directly addresses the root cause of the conflict by seeking a win-win solution that satisfies both senior members' technical concerns. This approach aligns with the PMP's emphasis on conflict resolution techniques that preserve team relationships and leverage diverse expertise to improve the technical approach. By focusing on mutual gains, you avoid the morale damage of a win-lose outcome and foster a culture of shared ownership.
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 →
Same concept, more angles
1 more ways this is tested on PMP
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 project team is experiencing a conflict between two members that is affecting the entire team's productivity. As the project manager, which TWO actions should you take to resolve the situation?
medium- A.Remove both team members from the project.
- ✓ B.Meet with each team member individually to understand their perspectives.
- C.Escalate the conflict to the project sponsor.
- D.Ignore the conflict and hope it resolves on its own.
- ✓ E.Facilitate a conflict resolution session with both parties.
Why B: Options B and D are correct: facilitating a conflict resolution session helps resolve the issue constructively, and a private discussion allows each person to express their perspective. Option A punishes the team; Option C ignores the issue; Option E escalates prematurely.
Last reviewed: Jun 24, 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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