PMP People — Leading Projects Practice Question
Two senior developers on your project have a heated disagreement about the technical approach for implementing a key feature. They both have strong arguments, and the conflict is delaying the sprint. As the project manager, what is the BEST first step to resolve this conflict?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often choose Option A (escalate) or Option D (decide unilaterally) because they mistake a technical conflict for a decision that requires authority, rather than recognizing that the PM's best first step is to facilitate collaboration and gather information before any decision is made.
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
✓
Meet with each developer separately to understand their perspectives before facilitating a joint discussion
It follows the PMI conflict resolution principle of 'collaborate/problem-solve' by first gathering individual perspectives privately before facilitating a joint discussion. This approach ensures each developer feels heard, reduces emotional tension, and allows the project manager to identify the underlying technical merits of each argument without group bias. It is the best first step because it addresses the root cause of the conflict—differing technical opinions—before attempting any resolution or escalation.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Escalate the issue to the project sponsor for a decision
Why it's wrong here
Escalation hands the technical decision to the sponsor, who lacks the developers' context, and bypasses the project manager's duty to address conflict directly. It is tempting because escalation is legitimate when disagreement exceeds the team's authority or threatens scope, cost, or schedule at a level the sponsor owns.
- ✓
Meet with each developer separately to understand their perspectives before facilitating a joint discussion
Why this is correct
Meeting each developer separately lets the project manager gather unfiltered technical positions and underlying concerns, then facilitate a joint discussion to reach consensus. This addresses the delayed sprint by resolving the conflict collaboratively rather than imposing a decision.
- ✗
Tell the developers to set aside their differences and move forward with the current plan
Why it's wrong here
Avoiding the conflict does not address the underlying issue.
- ✗
Choose the approach that aligns with the project's objectives and instruct the team to implement it
Why it's wrong here
Unilaterally imposing an approach removes the developers' ownership and skips collaborative problem-solving, leaving the root disagreement unaddressed. It is tempting when the project manager holds the technical expertise or a deadline demands a decisive call, making command-style resolution legitimate in genuine emergencies.
Visual reference
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Managing Team Conflict and Performance
Key term
Project Team Management
Project Team Management is the process of leading, coordinating, and supporting a group of people to complete project tasks and achieve project objectives.
Key term
Conflict Resolution
Conflict resolution is the process of addressing and resolving disagreements between team members or stakeholders to maintain a productive and collaborative project environment.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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.