What to Do First When Developers Argue Over Technical Approach
You are managing a hybrid project to develop a new mobile app. During the daily stand-up, two senior developers get into a heated argument about the technical approach for integrating a third-party API. The disagreement is causing tension and delaying progress. What should you do FIRST?
Quick Answer
The correct first step is to schedule a meeting with both developers to listen to their perspectives and facilitate a resolution. This approach aligns with the PMP exam’s emphasis on servant leadership and emotional intelligence, where the project manager acts as a facilitator rather than a dictator. By first seeking to understand the root cause of the technical argument, you avoid escalating prematurely or imposing a solution without collaboration, which would damage team trust. On the PMP exam, this scenario tests your ability to apply conflict resolution techniques, specifically the “collaborate/problem-solve” mode from Thomas-Kilmann, and it often appears in questions about managing stakeholder expectations and team dynamics. A common trap is choosing to escalate to a sponsor or impose your own technical decision, but the correct path is always to listen first. Memory tip: “Listen before you leap” — the first step to resolve any technical argument is always to gather data through active listening.
⚠ Common exam trap
Trap: Choosing 'escalate' because the developers are senior. However, the PM should first attempt to resolve the conflict at the team level before escalating.
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
✓
Schedule a meeting with both developers to listen to their perspectives and facilitate a resolution
It demonstrates effective conflict resolution by listening to both sides and facilitating a collaborative solution, aligning with the PM's role as a servant leader. Option A (ignore) avoids the conflict, which can worsen tension. Option B (escalate to functional managers) bypasses the team's ability to resolve their own conflict and may erode trust. Option D (decide yourself) is a forcing approach that ignores input and can damage team morale.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Ignore the argument and hope it resolves on its own
Why it's wrong here
Wrong because ignoring the argument avoids addressing the conflict and will not resolve the tension.
- ✗
Escalate the issue to the functional managers of the developers
Why it's wrong here
Wrong because escalating to functional managers bypasses the project manager's responsibility and may escalate the issue unnecessarily.
- ✓
Schedule a meeting with both developers to listen to their perspectives and facilitate a resolution
Why this is correct
Correct because scheduling a meeting to listen to both perspectives and facilitate a resolution aligns with servant leadership and emotional intelligence.
- ✗
Decide on the technical approach yourself and assign tasks accordingly
Why it's wrong here
Wrong because deciding the technical approach yourself without collaboration can damage team morale and reduce buy-in.
Visual reference
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Introduction to the PMP Exam and Project Management Basics
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.
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.
About these practice questions
Courseiva writes every PMP question from scratch — 800 in total, each with an explanation and a wrong-answer breakdown. None are copied from real exams or dumps. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Same concept, more angles
1 more way this is tested on PMP
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. You are managing a hybrid software development project. During the daily stand-up, two senior developers get into a heated argument about the best technical approach for a critical feature. The argument is delaying the meeting and causing tension. As the project manager, what should you do first?
medium- A.Escalate the issue to the project sponsor for a decision
- B.Let the team resolve the conflict on their own without intervention
- C.Decide on the technical approach yourself to move forward quickly
- ✓ D.Intervene, acknowledge both perspectives, and schedule a separate meeting to resolve the conflict
Why D: As the project manager in a hybrid project, you must facilitate conflict resolution without imposing a technical decision that exceeds your role. By acknowledging both perspectives and scheduling a separate meeting, you keep the daily stand-up focused on coordination while ensuring the technical debate is resolved by the appropriate experts, preserving team autonomy and project momentum.
JA
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.