PMP People — Leading Projects Practice Question
You are the project manager for a software development project using an agile methodology. The team is co-located and has been working together for three months. Recently, you notice that during daily stand-up meetings, the product owner often interrupts the team members to ask detailed technical questions, causing the meetings to run over the 15-minute timebox. Additionally, the team seems hesitant to share progress openly, and some members have started arriving late to the stand-up. The sprint backlog shows that velocity has dropped by 20% in the last two sprints. The product owner insists that the stand-up is the only time they have to get technical updates. What should the project manager do FIRST?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers choose Option A (extending the timebox) because they think accommodating the product owner's needs is collaborative, but this violates the core agile principle of timeboxing and the specific purpose of the daily stand-up as defined in the Scrum Guide.
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
✓
Coach the product owner privately on the purpose of the daily stand-up and the importance of not interrupting.
The daily stand-up is a team synchronization event for inspecting progress toward the sprint goal, not a technical Q&A session. The product owner's interruptions violate the event's timebox and purpose, causing the team to withhold information and reducing velocity. The project manager should first coach the product owner privately on the Scrum Guide's definition of the daily stand-up, emphasizing that detailed technical discussions should be deferred to separate sessions.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Extend the stand-up to 30 minutes to allow time for the product owner's questions.
Why it's wrong here
Extending the daily stand-up to 30 minutes fundamentally misunderstands its purpose as a brief, time-boxed synchronization meeting, typically 15 minutes. This action would reduce team efficiency by consuming more valuable development time without addressing the product owner's disruptive behavior or their misunderstanding of the meeting's format. It merely accommodates the symptom rather than resolving the root cause of interruptions and off-topic discussions, thereby failing to improve meeting effectiveness.
- ✗
Escalate the issue to the project sponsor and request a replacement product owner.
Why it's wrong here
Escalating directly to the project sponsor to request a replacement product owner is an overly drastic and premature measure. This action bypasses direct communication and coaching, which are essential initial steps for resolving interpersonal or behavioral issues within a project team. Such an immediate escalation can damage professional relationships, undermine team cohesion, and reflect poorly on the project manager's ability to resolve conflicts constructively without attempting resolution.
- ✓
Coach the product owner privately on the purpose of the daily stand-up and the importance of not interrupting.
Why this is correct
Coaching the product owner privately is the most appropriate and professional first step. This approach directly addresses the disruptive behavior and clarifies the specific purpose and time-boxed nature of the daily stand-up, which is for team synchronization, not problem-solving or detailed discussions. By conducting this conversation privately, the project manager preserves the product owner's dignity and maintains a collaborative working relationship, fostering understanding and encouraging behavioral adjustment.
- ✗
Remove the product owner from the daily stand-up and provide a written daily summary instead.
Why it's wrong here
Removing the product owner from the daily stand-up and substituting a written summary significantly reduces crucial real-time collaboration and direct communication. The product owner's presence is vital for understanding daily progress, impediments, and ensuring the team remains aligned with product goals and priorities. This action creates a disconnect between the development team and the product vision, potentially leading to misunderstandings, decreased responsiveness to emerging issues, and a lack of immediate feedback.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Introduction to the PMP Exam and Project Management Basics
Key term
Sprint Planning
Sprint Planning is a time-boxed meeting at the start of a Scrum sprint where the team decides what work they can deliver and how they will do it.
Key term
Scrum Methodology
Scrum is a lightweight process framework that helps teams deliver complex projects in small, iterative chunks called sprints.
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