PMP People — Leading Projects Practice Question
You are the project manager for a software development project using a hybrid approach. Two senior developers have a heated disagreement about the best technical solution for a critical feature. The disagreement is causing delays and affecting team morale. What should you do first?
⚠ Common exam trap
It's easy for candidates to confuse the project manager's role in a hybrid approach with a traditional predictive approach, where the manager might be expected to make technical decisions or escalate quickly, rather than facilitating team collaboration.
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 both developers to listen to their perspectives and facilitate a resolution
As a project manager using a hybrid approach, your first responsibility is to facilitate conflict resolution among team members. By scheduling a meeting to listen to both developers' perspectives, you demonstrate servant leadership, encourage collaborative problem-solving, and leverage their technical expertise to reach a consensus, which aligns with the PMI Talent Triangle's leadership and team management skills.
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 for a final decision
Why it's wrong here
Escalating the issue directly to the project sponsor is premature and bypasses the project manager's primary responsibility to manage team conflicts effectively. This approach violates the principle of resolving issues at the lowest appropriate level, disempowering the team and undermining their ability to find a collaborative solution. It should only be considered as a last resort if all attempts at team-level resolution have failed.
- ✗
Ignore the conflict and hope it resolves on its own
Why it's wrong here
Ignoring the conflict and hoping it resolves independently is a passive and irresponsible approach for a project manager. Unaddressed conflicts rarely disappear; instead, they tend to fester, escalate, and negatively impact team morale, productivity, and overall project performance. A proactive project manager must address disagreements directly to prevent further dysfunction and ensure a healthy working environment.
- ✗
Make a decision yourself and tell the developers to implement that solution
Why it's wrong here
Making an autocratic decision and imposing it on the developers is a "forcing" conflict resolution technique that can be detrimental to team dynamics. This approach undermines team ownership, stifles creativity, and fails to address the root causes of the disagreement, potentially leading to resentment, reduced commitment, and recurring conflicts. It prioritizes a quick resolution over a sustainable, collaborative one.
- ✓
Schedule a meeting with both developers to listen to their perspectives and facilitate a resolution
Why this is correct
Scheduling a meeting to listen and facilitate a resolution exemplifies the "collaborating" or "problem-solving" approach to conflict management, which is highly effective. This method allows the project manager to understand both perspectives, foster open communication, and guide the developers toward a mutually acceptable solution. It empowers the team, builds consensus, and strengthens working relationships for long-term project success.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Introduction to the PMP Exam and Project Management Basics
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.
Key term
Conflict Resolution
Conflict resolution is the process of addressing and resolving disagreements between team members or stakeholders to maintain a productive and collaborative project environment.
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Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
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