The correct answer is to facilitate a meeting between the two engineers to help them reach a consensus, involving other team members if needed. This is correct because the Scrum Master’s role is to be a servant leader who enables the team to resolve their own conflicts, not to dictate technical solutions or escalate prematurely. In the context of a technical disagreement, the Scrum Master focuses on the process of conflict resolution, ensuring that the engineers collaborate to find the best technical approach while preserving team cohesion. On the PMP exam, this scenario tests your understanding of the Scrum Master’s facilitation responsibilities versus a project manager’s decision-making authority; a common trap is choosing to impose a solution or escalate to management, which violates the principle of self-organization. Remember the mnemonic “FACILITATE” — Facilitate, Avoid imposing, Collaborate, Involve, Listen, Iterate, Trust, Align, Team, Empower.
PMP Process — Managing Technical Aspects Practice Question
This PMP practice question tests your understanding of process — managing technical aspects. 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.
During a daily standup, a developer mentions she is blocked because two senior engineers are in a heated argument about the technical approach for a critical feature. The disagreement has been ongoing for two days and is affecting the team's velocity. As the Scrum Master, what should you do?
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 between the two engineers to help them reach a consensus, and involve other team members if needed
Option C is correct: The Scrum Master facilitates conflict resolution but does not impose a solution. Option A escalates without resolution attempt, B imposes a solution, D ignores the issue temporarily.
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 meeting between the two engineers to help them reach a consensus, and involve other team members if needed
Why this is correct
Facilitating conflict resolution is a key Scrum Master responsibility.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Decide on the technical approach yourself and assign tasks accordingly to unblock the team
Why it's wrong here
Imposing a solution undermines team ownership and may not be optimal.
✗
Advise the developer to wait until the disagreement is resolved before proceeding
Why it's wrong here
This does not address the conflict and delays progress.
✗
Escalate the issue to the project sponsor to resolve the technical disagreement
Why it's wrong here
The Scrum Master should facilitate resolution within the team first.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Many certification questions include familiar terms but test a specific constraint. Read the exact wording before choosing an answer that is generally true but wrong for this case.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
This question should be treated as a scenario, not a definition check. Identify the problem, the constraint and the best action. Then compare each option against those facts.
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.
Use explanations to understand the rule behind the answer.
TExam Day Tips
→Underline the problem statement mentally.
→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.
Identify which PMP exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
Process — Managing Technical Aspects — This question tests Process — Managing Technical Aspects — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Facilitate a meeting between the two engineers to help them reach a consensus, and involve other team members if needed — Option C is correct: The Scrum Master facilitates conflict resolution but does not impose a solution. Option A escalates without resolution attempt, B imposes a solution, D ignores the issue temporarily.
What should I do if I get this PMP question wrong?
Identify which PMP exam domain this question belongs to, then review the specific concept being tested. Practise related questions in that domain and focus on understanding why each wrong answer is tempting — not just why the correct answer is right.
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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