PMP People — Leading Projects Practice Question
You are the project manager for a software development project using Scrum. During the daily stand-up, two senior developers get into a heated argument about the technical approach for a user story. The sprint goal is at risk. What should you do FIRST?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often assume the project manager must immediately intervene or escalate to the product owner, confusing the role of a traditional project manager with that of a Scrum facilitator who empowers team self-management.
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
✓
Ask the developers to resolve the conflict after the meeting and escalate if they cannot
The Scrum framework empowers the development team to self-organize and resolve technical disagreements. The project manager should facilitate the team's autonomy by asking the developers to resolve the conflict after the stand-up, escalating only if they cannot reach a consensus, thus protecting the sprint goal without imposing a top-down decision.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Report the conflict to the product owner and ask for a decision
Why it's wrong here
Reporting a technical conflict to the Product Owner is inappropriate because their primary accountability lies with defining the product backlog, prioritizing features, and maximizing business value, not dictating technical implementation details. Involving the Product Owner in a technical dispute bypasses the development team's expertise and self-organizing capabilities, potentially leading to suboptimal technical decisions and undermining team autonomy. This action misaligns roles within an Agile framework.
- ✗
Intervene immediately and decide the technical approach to resolve the conflict
Why it's wrong here
Intervening immediately to decide the technical approach is detrimental as it directly contradicts the principles of self-organizing teams in Agile methodologies. The Project Manager's role is to facilitate, coach, and remove impediments, not to impose technical solutions, which are best determined by the development team's collective expertise. Such an action disempowers the team, reduces their ownership of the solution, and can lead to resentment or a less effective outcome.
- ✗
Cancel the stand-up and schedule a separate meeting to resolve the issue
Why it's wrong here
Canceling the daily stand-up to address a technical conflict is counterproductive and disrupts the team's established rhythm and communication flow. Stand-ups are designed for quick synchronization, progress updates, and identifying impediments, not for deep problem-solving discussions. Halting this crucial daily event unnecessarily escalates the situation, delays essential information sharing, and prevents the team from collaboratively planning their work for the day.
- ✓
Ask the developers to resolve the conflict after the meeting and escalate if they cannot
Why this is correct
Asking the developers to resolve the conflict after the meeting and escalating if they cannot is the most appropriate Agile response, as it upholds the principle of self-organizing teams. This approach empowers the development team to leverage their collective technical expertise and problem-solving skills to find a mutually agreeable solution. The Project Manager acts as a facilitator, trusting the team's capabilities while providing a clear path for support if internal resolution proves challenging, thus fostering autonomy and accountability.
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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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