The correct answer is to schedule a one-on-one meeting to discuss the issue and understand any challenges. This approach aligns with the PMP’s emphasis on servant leadership, where the project manager first seeks to uncover root causes—such as personal struggles or workload conflicts—through a private conversation before escalating. By addressing the team member missing meetings and failing to update task status in a confidential setting, the manager fosters trust and psychological safety, which are critical for proactive conflict resolution. On the PMP exam, this scenario tests your grasp of the “manage team” process and the principle of addressing performance issues at the lowest level of confrontation; a common trap is jumping to formal corrective action or public reprimand, which violates the servant leader mindset. Remember the mnemonic “PIC” for Private, Investigate, Coach—always start privately to investigate the why, then coach toward improvement.
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 is leading a team that includes members from different departments. One team member frequently misses team meetings and fails to update task status. What should the project manager do?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Schedule a one-on-one meeting to discuss the issue and understand any challenges
Option B is correct because the PM should first address performance issues privately to understand root causes, such as personal challenges or workload conflicts, before taking any formal action. This aligns with the PMP's emphasis on servant leadership and proactive conflict resolution, ensuring the team member feels supported and can improve without public embarrassment.
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.
✗
Bring up the issue in the next team meeting to encourage accountability
Why it's wrong here
Public confrontation may damage trust.
✓
Schedule a one-on-one meeting to discuss the issue and understand any challenges
Why this is correct
Private discussion shows empathy and seeks root cause.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Remove the team member from the project
Why it's wrong here
Too severe without understanding the situation.
✗
Report the issue to the team member's functional manager
Why it's wrong here
The PM should address the issue directly first.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates may choose Option A (public accountability) thinking it promotes transparency, but PMP emphasizes private, respectful confrontation to avoid damaging team cohesion and trust.
Trap categories for this question
Scenario analysis trap
Too severe without understanding the situation.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
In the PMP framework, the 'Manage Team' process involves using interpersonal skills like conflict resolution and emotional intelligence to address performance issues. A one-on-one meeting allows the PM to apply active listening and identify if the issue stems from unclear expectations, resource constraints, or personal factors, which aligns with the 'Servant Leadership' principle. This approach also preserves the team's psychological safety, a key factor in high-performing teams as per PMI's Talent Triangle.
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.
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: Schedule a one-on-one meeting to discuss the issue and understand any challenges — Option B is correct because the PM should first address performance issues privately to understand root causes, such as personal challenges or workload conflicts, before taking any formal action. This aligns with the PMP's emphasis on servant leadership and proactive conflict resolution, ensuring the team member feels supported and can improve without public embarrassment.
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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Question Discussion
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