PMP People — Leading Projects Practice Question
You are the project manager for a hybrid software development project. During a sprint review, two senior developers get into a heated argument about the technical approach for a critical feature. The argument is delaying the review and making other team members uncomfortable. What should you do FIRST?
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to choose Option A, thinking it maintains focus on the review, but this ignores the need to resolve the conflict's root cause, which is a key principle in the PMP's People domain.
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
✓
Call a brief break, then meet privately with the two developers to facilitate a resolution
As a project manager in a hybrid environment, your first responsibility is to address the conflict directly and privately to de-escalate the situation without disrupting the sprint review. By calling a brief break and meeting privately with the two developers, you facilitate a resolution using conflict management techniques, which aligns with the PMI's emphasis on servant leadership and stakeholder engagement. This approach preserves team morale and allows the review to continue productively after the issue is resolved.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Ask both developers to stop arguing and continue the review
Why it's wrong here
Asking developers to stop arguing merely suppresses the immediate symptom without addressing the root cause of their disagreement. This superficial approach fails to resolve the underlying conflict, potentially leading to resentment, decreased team morale, and the re-emergence of unresolved issues later in the project lifecycle, hindering effective collaboration and decision-making.
- ✗
Escalate the issue to the project sponsor for resolution
Why it's wrong here
Escalating a team conflict directly to the project sponsor is an inappropriate and premature action for a project manager. A PMP is expected to manage team dynamics and resolve conflicts at the lowest appropriate level, demonstrating leadership and problem-solving skills. Unnecessary escalation undermines the PM's authority and wastes the sponsor's time on issues that should be handled within the project team.
- ✗
Cancel the sprint review and reschedule it for the next day
Why it's wrong here
Canceling and rescheduling the sprint review avoids the immediate conflict but introduces significant negative consequences for the project. This action delays critical feedback on the increment, disrupts the agile cadence, and postpones the resolution of the underlying issue, which can impact team trust and project velocity. Effective project management requires confronting problems directly, not deferring them.
- ✓
Call a brief break, then meet privately with the two developers to facilitate a resolution
Why this is correct
Calling a brief break allows for a cooling-off period, while meeting privately with the developers demonstrates a commitment to facilitating a constructive resolution. This approach aligns with PMI best practices for conflict resolution, emphasizing direct, private communication to understand perspectives and collaboratively find a mutually acceptable solution. It respects team members, preserves the project schedule, and strengthens team cohesion by addressing issues proactively.
Visual reference
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Related to this question
Learn chapter
Introduction to the PMP Exam and Project Management Basics
Key term
Scrum Methodology
Scrum is a lightweight process framework that helps teams deliver complex projects in small, iterative chunks called sprints.
Key term
Project Management Plan
A formal, approved document that defines how a project is executed, monitored, controlled, and closed, serving as the single source of truth for the project team.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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