The answer is to facilitate a meeting with both developers to evaluate each approach against project objectives. This is correct because, as a project manager, your role is not to dictate the technical solution but to guide the team through a structured conflict resolution process that aligns with project goals. By focusing the discussion on technical merits and resource implications rather than personal confrontation, you leverage the senior developers’ expertise to resolve the technical conflict between developers constructively. On the PMP exam, this scenario tests your understanding of the Manage Team and Conflict Resolution processes, specifically the collaborative problem-solving technique. A common trap is choosing to escalate the issue to a sponsor or impose a solution yourself, which undermines team ownership and can worsen morale. Remember the memory tip: “Facilitate, don’t dictate—let the data and objectives arbitrate.”
PMP Process — Managing Technical Aspects Practice Question
This PMP practice question tests your understanding of process — managing technical aspects. 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.
You are the project manager for a complex IT infrastructure project. Two senior developers have a conflict regarding the technical approach to a critical component. The conflict is causing delays and affecting team morale. Both approaches are valid but have different resource and schedule implications. What should you do first?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "first"
Why it matters: Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
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 with both developers to evaluate each approach against project objectives.
As a PM, you should facilitate a collaborative discussion to resolve the conflict. The goal is to leverage the team's expertise to find the best solution. Avoiding personal confrontation and focusing on technical merits is key.
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 with both developers to evaluate each approach against project objectives.
Why this is correct
Facilitating a collaborative discussion helps the team reach a consensus, which is a key PM responsibility.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "first" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Ask the developers to document both approaches and then choose the one with lower cost.
Why it's wrong here
This may bias the decision toward cost alone, ignoring other factors. Collaborative evaluation is better.
✗
Escalate the conflict to the project sponsor for resolution.
Why it's wrong here
Escalation should be a last resort. The PM should first try to resolve conflict at the team level.
✗
Make a decision yourself based on the project constraints to save time.
Why it's wrong here
Making a unilateral decision may not leverage the team's expertise and could reduce buy-in.
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 with both developers to evaluate each approach against project objectives. — As a PM, you should facilitate a collaborative discussion to resolve the conflict. The goal is to leverage the team's expertise to find the best solution. Avoiding personal confrontation and focusing on technical merits is key.
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.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "first". Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
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 →
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. During a project, two senior developers have a conflict regarding the technical approach. As project manager, which TWO actions should you take?
easy
A.Decide on the technical approach yourself
✓ B.Encourage both developers to collaborate and find a mutually acceptable solution
C.Escalate to the project sponsor for a decision
D.Reassign one developer to another project to avoid further conflict
✓ E.Document the conflict and resolution in the issue log
Why B: Option A (encourage collaboration) and Option C (update issue log) are appropriate PM actions. Option B (escalation) is premature. Option D (choose an approach) imposes on the team. Option E (change assignments) avoids resolving the root cause.
Variation 2. Two senior developers on your hybrid project have a conflict over the technical approach for a critical feature. The conflict is causing delays. What should the project manager do first?
medium
✓ A.Facilitate a meeting where each developer presents their approach and the team evaluates pros and cons against project objectives
B.Escalate the issue to the sponsor for a final decision
C.Make the decision yourself to save time and end the conflict
D.Separate the developers to work on different features to avoid further conflict
Why A: The PM should facilitate a collaborative resolution by encouraging the team to evaluate options based on objective criteria, such as impact on project goals.
Last reviewed: Jun 21, 2026
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