This PMP practice question tests your understanding of people — leading projects. 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 managing a project where a key executive stakeholder bypasses you and gives direct orders to the development team. The team is confused about priorities. 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
✓
Schedule a meeting with the executive to discuss the impact of bypassing the PM and reinforce the communication plan
Option C is correct because the first action should be to address the root cause of the confusion—the executive's bypassing behavior—by scheduling a private meeting to discuss its impact on project priorities and team morale, and to reinforce the established communication plan. This aligns with the PMP's focus on proactive stakeholder management and conflict resolution, ensuring the project manager maintains authority and clarity without escalating prematurely.
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.
✗
Tell the team to follow the executive's orders to avoid conflict
Why it's wrong here
This undermines the PM's authority and may cause scope creep.
✗
Report the executive's behavior to the project sponsor
Why it's wrong here
The PM should first address the issue directly with the executive.
✓
Schedule a meeting with the executive to discuss the impact of bypassing the PM and reinforce the communication plan
Why this is correct
Direct communication resolves the issue professionally and maintains relationships.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "first" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Update the communication plan to include the executive's approach
Why it's wrong here
Updating the plan to accommodate bypassing is not appropriate.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often choose Option B (reporting to the sponsor) because they mistake a stakeholder's bypassing behavior for a formal violation requiring immediate escalation, when in fact the PMP exam emphasizes first attempting direct, collaborative resolution with the stakeholder to maintain project control and relationships.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
In project management, the communication plan is a formal document that defines how information flows, including escalation paths and authority levels. When a stakeholder bypasses the project manager, it creates a 'multiple boss' scenario that violates the unity of command principle, leading to resource contention and priority conflicts. The correct approach is to first engage the stakeholder directly to realign expectations, as this preserves the project manager's role as the single point of integration and avoids unnecessary escalation that could damage stakeholder relationships.
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.
TExam Day Tips
→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.
People — Leading Projects — This question tests People — Leading Projects — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Schedule a meeting with the executive to discuss the impact of bypassing the PM and reinforce the communication plan — Option C is correct because the first action should be to address the root cause of the confusion—the executive's bypassing behavior—by scheduling a private meeting to discuss its impact on project priorities and team morale, and to reinforce the established communication plan. This aligns with the PMP's focus on proactive stakeholder management and conflict resolution, ensuring the project manager maintains authority and clarity without escalating prematurely.
What should I do if I get this PMP question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
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.
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Question Discussion
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