- A
Work with the product owner to clarify the requirements and provide the team with the necessary information
Removing obstacles is a key servant leadership behavior.
- B
Take over the task of clarifying requirements and update the user stories yourself
Why wrong: This undermines the product owner's role.
- C
Coach the team to ask better questions during sprint planning
Why wrong: While helpful, this does not address the immediate obstacle.
- D
Wait until the sprint retrospective to discuss the issue
Why wrong: Delaying action does not help the team now.
Question 395 of 892
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.
A project manager is using a servant leadership approach. During a sprint, the team is struggling to complete their tasks due to unclear requirements. What should the project manager do?
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
✓
Work with the product owner to clarify the requirements and provide the team with the necessary information
Option A is correct because a servant leader removes impediments for the team. By working with the product owner to clarify the requirements, the project manager directly addresses the root cause of the team's struggle—unclear requirements—without taking over the work or delaying resolution. This aligns with the agile principle of empowering the team while ensuring they have the necessary information to complete their tasks.
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 product owner to clarify the requirements and provide the team with the necessary information
Why this is correct
Removing obstacles is a key servant leadership behavior.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Take over the task of clarifying requirements and update the user stories yourself
Why it's wrong here
This undermines the product owner's role.
- ✗
Coach the team to ask better questions during sprint planning
Why it's wrong here
While helpful, this does not address the immediate obstacle.
- ✗
Wait until the sprint retrospective to discuss the issue
Why it's wrong here
Delaying action does not help the team now.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may confuse servant leadership with hands-on management, leading them to choose option B (taking over the task) or option C (coaching as a delayed fix), rather than recognizing that the immediate, collaborative removal of impediments is the core duty of a servant leader.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
In agile frameworks like Scrum, the product owner is responsible for maintaining a clear and prioritized product backlog with well-defined user stories. When requirements are unclear, the project manager (as a servant leader) should facilitate a conversation between the team and the product owner to refine acceptance criteria, often using techniques like the INVEST model (Independent, Negotiable, Valuable, Estimable, Small, Testable) to ensure stories are actionable. This approach prevents rework and maintains team velocity, as unclear requirements are a common cause of technical debt and sprint failures.
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.
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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: Work with the product owner to clarify the requirements and provide the team with the necessary information — Option A is correct because a servant leader removes impediments for the team. By working with the product owner to clarify the requirements, the project manager directly addresses the root cause of the team's struggle—unclear requirements—without taking over the work or delaying resolution. This aligns with the agile principle of empowering the team while ensuring they have the necessary information to complete their tasks.
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.
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Last reviewed: Jul 4, 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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