PMP People — Leading Projects Practice Question
You are forming a new project team with members from different departments. To ensure a shared understanding of team values and expectations, what should you do FIRST?
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
✓
Facilitate a team charter workshop to define roles, responsibilities, and norms
The first step in forming a new project team is to establish a shared understanding of values and expectations. A team charter workshop accomplishes this by collaboratively defining roles, responsibilities, and norms, which aligns the team and reduces ambiguity. Option A is too passive and does not engage the team in co-creating expectations. Option B lacks initial alignment and can lead to confusion. Option C builds relationships but does not directly address rules and expectations.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
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Send a team introduction email with the project plan
Why it's wrong here
Sending a team introduction email with the project plan is a one-way communication method that fails to foster interactive dialogue or shared understanding among new team members. While it provides initial information, it does not facilitate the crucial collaborative process required for defining team norms, expectations, or individual contributions. This approach neglects the essential team-building activities necessary for effective project initiation and cohesion, potentially leading to misalignments.
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Assign individual tasks and let the team figure out collaboration
Why it's wrong here
Assigning individual tasks without establishing a foundational framework for collaboration is a high-risk approach that often leads to confusion, duplicated efforts, and interpersonal conflicts. Without explicit guidance on communication channels, decision-making processes, or conflict resolution mechanisms, team members may struggle to integrate their work effectively. This reactive strategy undermines productivity and the development of a cohesive, high-performing team, increasing project risks.
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Conduct a team-building event
Why it's wrong here
While team-building events are valuable for fostering camaraderie and improving interpersonal relationships, conducting one prematurely, before establishing foundational operational guidelines, is suboptimal. A team-building event primarily enhances existing team dynamics and relationships, but it does not define the critical roles, responsibilities, or operating norms necessary for project execution. These fundamental elements must be explicitly agreed upon first to provide a stable framework for the team's work, ensuring clarity before social bonding.
- ✓
Facilitate a team charter workshop to define roles, responsibilities, and norms
Why this is correct
Facilitating a team charter workshop is the most effective and proactive approach for forming a new project team, especially with members from diverse backgrounds. This collaborative process allows the team to collectively define their purpose, establish clear roles, responsibilities, communication protocols, and operating norms. By actively participating in its creation, team members develop a shared understanding, commitment, and accountability, thereby laying a robust foundation for effective collaboration and conflict prevention throughout the project lifecycle.
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