PMP Process — Managing Technical Aspects Practice Question
You are managing a marketing campaign project. A key stakeholder, the VP of Marketing, frequently bypasses you and gives direct instructions to team members. This has caused confusion and rework. What should you do FIRST?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often choose escalation (Option A) as a first step, but the PMP exam emphasizes that direct, respectful communication with the stakeholder is the initial action before involving higher authority.
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 the VP to discuss the communication management plan and roles
The first step in resolving a stakeholder bypassing the project manager is to address the issue directly with the stakeholder through a scheduled meeting. This allows you to clarify roles, reinforce the communication management plan, and ensure all instructions flow through the proper channels to prevent confusion and rework. By discussing the plan, you align expectations and maintain project governance without escalating prematurely or undermining authority.
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
Why it's wrong here
Escalating directly to the project sponsor is premature and bypasses the initial responsibility of the project manager to address stakeholder communication issues directly. Project managers are expected to first attempt to resolve conflicts and clarify roles with involved parties, such as the VP in this scenario, before elevating the matter. Premature escalation can undermine the project manager's authority and consume sponsor time unnecessarily for issues that can be managed at a lower level.
- ✗
Politely remind the team to ignore instructions that don't come through you
Why it's wrong here
Instructing the team to disregard direct instructions from a VP, even politely, is a reactive and potentially damaging approach. This action can foster an adversarial relationship between the project team and a key stakeholder, erode trust, and create an environment of confusion and insubordination. Furthermore, it fails to address the root cause of the problem, which is the VP's misunderstanding or disregard of established communication protocols, leaving the underlying issue unresolved.
- ✗
Update the stakeholder engagement plan without informing the VP
Why it's wrong here
Unilaterally updating the stakeholder engagement plan without first discussing the issue with the VP is an ineffective and potentially counterproductive strategy. Effective stakeholder management requires collaboration and mutual agreement on communication protocols and engagement levels. Changing the plan without the VP's input or awareness will not resolve the immediate problem of direct instructions and could further alienate the stakeholder, as they were not involved in the revision process.
- ✓
Schedule a meeting with the VP to discuss the communication management plan and roles
Why this is correct
Scheduling a direct meeting with the VP is the most appropriate and proactive step to resolve the issue. This approach allows the project manager to collaboratively review the established communication management plan, clarify roles and responsibilities, and reinforce agreed-upon communication channels. Engaging the VP directly fosters understanding, ensures alignment, and provides an opportunity to address any misunderstandings regarding project governance and instruction dissemination, thereby preventing future disruptions.
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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.