PMP Process — Managing Technical Aspects Practice Question
Your agile project has been experiencing decreasing velocity over the last three sprints. The team is frustrated and morale is low. The product owner is pressuring for more features. What is the BEST action for the project manager to take?
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
✓
Conduct a retrospective to identify impediments and improvement actions.
The PM should facilitate a retrospective to identify root causes of decreasing velocity and address team morale. Option A is correct because it uses agile ceremonies to collaboratively find improvements. Option B adds pressure without solving root issues; option C ignores team dynamics; option D changes process without understanding impediments.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Conduct a retrospective to identify impediments and improvement actions.
Why this is correct
In agile, a decreasing velocity signals a process or environmental issue, not necessarily a performance deficit. A retrospective is the prescribed event for the team to inspect its past sprint, identify root causes for the velocity drop (impediments), and collaboratively determine actionable improvements for the next sprint. This fosters continuous improvement and team ownership in adapting their working processes.
- ✗
Ask the team to work overtime to catch up on velocity.
Why it's wrong here
Forcing a team to work overtime is a detrimental anti-pattern in agile environments. While it might offer a temporary, unsustainable bump in output, it inevitably leads to increased burnout, reduced morale, decreased quality, and ultimately, a further decline in sustainable velocity. Agile emphasizes sustainable pace and predictable delivery, not heroic efforts.
- ✗
Replace the underperforming team members with new resources.
Why it's wrong here
Replacing team members is a drastic and premature action that contradicts agile principles of self-organizing teams and continuous improvement. A decrease in velocity is typically a systemic issue, not solely individual underperformance, and replacing members disrupts team dynamics, knowledge transfer, and trust, potentially worsening the problem rather than addressing root causes.
- ✗
Increase the sprint length to give the team more time.
Why it's wrong here
Increasing the sprint length is an ineffective response to decreasing velocity because it merely extends the iteration without addressing the underlying impediments causing the slowdown. This action delays feedback cycles, postpones the identification of root causes, and can mask systemic issues, preventing the team from inspecting and adapting their process in a timely manner.
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Same concept, more angles
6 more ways this is tested on PMP
These questions test the same concept from different angles. Work through them to make sure you can recognise it however the exam phrases it.
Variation 1. Your agile team has been experiencing a decrease in velocity over the last three sprints. During the daily standup, team members seem disengaged and mention they are unsure of the sprint goals. As the scrum master, what should you do FIRST?
easy- A.Add more user stories to the backlog to increase team motivation.
- B.Ask the product owner to speak with the team about the importance of the sprint goals.
- ✓ C.Facilitate a meeting with the team to review and clarify the sprint goal and ensure alignment.
- D.Report the velocity drop to senior management and ask for intervention.
Why C: The Scrum Master's first responsibility is to ensure the team understands and aligns on the sprint goal. The disengagement and confusion about sprint goals directly indicate a breakdown in shared understanding, which must be resolved through facilitation before any other action. Addressing this immediately restores focus and can prevent further velocity degradation.
Variation 2. During an agile project, the team's velocity has dropped for three consecutive sprints. The retrospective revealed that team members are spending too much time on unplanned support tasks. Which THREE actions should the project manager take?
easy- ✓ A.Facilitate a focused retrospective to identify specific root causes
- ✓ B.Work with the product owner to limit unplanned work from stakeholders
- ✓ C.Review the velocity trend and adjust the sprint backlog accordingly
- D.Reduce the sprint length to increase focus and delivery
- E.Require the team to work overtime to regain lost velocity
Why A: A focused retrospective can help identify root causes of the velocity drop. Option B is correct because the product owner should manage stakeholder expectations and limit unplanned work. Option C is correct because analyzing velocity trends helps the team adapt their backlog and planning. Option D is incorrect because reducing sprint length typically increases overhead and does not address the surge of unplanned tasks. Option E is incorrect because mandatory overtime leads to burnout and reduced quality, harming long-term productivity.
Variation 3. In an agile project, the team's velocity has dropped for three consecutive sprints. The daily standup meetings are rushed, and team members often work in silos. What should the project manager do first?
hard- A.Increase the frequency of daily standups to twice per day
- B.Add more team members to increase capacity
- C.Assign a senior developer to monitor individual productivity
- ✓ D.Facilitate a retrospective to identify impediments and propose improvements
Why D: In agile, the retrospective is the appropriate forum for the team to identify and address process issues, such as the drop in velocity and siloed work. Option A is wrong because increasing standup frequency does not address root causes and may add more pressure. Option B is wrong because adding team members can disrupt team dynamics and does not address the underlying issues. Option C is wrong because assigning a senior developer to monitor individual productivity is micromanaging and contrary to agile principles.
Variation 4. Your agile project is experiencing a drop in velocity for the third consecutive sprint. The team reports that they are spending too much time in unplanned meetings and dealing with frequent requirement changes. Which TWO actions should you take to address this?
medium- A.Encourage the team to work overtime to catch up.
- B.Add more team members to increase capacity.
- C.Increase the sprint duration to give the team more time.
- ✓ D.Implement a process to control scope changes during the sprint.
- ✓ E.Limit work-in-progress (WIP) to reduce multitasking.
Why D: Limiting work-in-progress (WIP) can reduce context switching and improve focus. Implementing a change control process for scope changes during a sprint helps stabilize requirements. Both address root causes of velocity drop.
Variation 5. Your agile project has experienced a significant drop in velocity for two consecutive sprints. The team is blaming unclear requirements from the product owner, while the product owner claims the team is not collaborating enough. As the scrum master, which THREE actions should you take to address the situation?
hard- A.Add buffer time to the next sprint to account for uncertainty
- B.Mandate that the team must collaborate more by pairing on all tasks
- ✓ C.Coach the product owner on techniques for refining the product backlog and writing clear user stories
- ✓ D.Coach the team on self-organization and effective collaboration techniques
- ✓ E.Facilitate a retrospective focused on identifying root causes of the velocity drop
Why C: The Scrum Master's role is to serve the team and Product Owner, removing impediments and fostering an environment of continuous improvement. A significant drop in velocity, coupled with blame between the team and Product Owner, indicates underlying issues that require facilitation and coaching. Coaching the product owner (C) directly addresses the team's concern about unclear requirements, which is a common impediment to velocity. Coaching the team (D) addresses the Product Owner's concern about lack of collaboration and empowers the team to improve their internal dynamics and interactions. Facilitating a retrospective (E) is crucial as it is the primary event for the team to inspect their process, identify the true root causes of problems (like the velocity drop and the blame game), and commit to actionable improvements. The SM facilitates this crucial discussion, rather than imposing solutions or adding buffers.
Variation 6. In an agile project, the team has missed their sprint commitment for the third consecutive sprint. During the retrospective, team members cite unclear requirements and frequent interruptions from stakeholders. As the project manager, what is the BEST action to take?
medium- A.Require the team to commit to fewer story points next sprint
- ✓ B.Work with the product owner to refine user stories and shield the team from external interruptions
- C.Add more developers to the team to increase velocity
- D.Increase the sprint duration to give the team more time
Why B: The best action because the root cause is unclear requirements and frequent interruptions. The project manager should work with the product owner to refine user stories and ensure they are clear, and also shield the team from stakeholder interruptions. Option A (reducing story points) does not address the root cause; the team would still face unclear requirements and interruptions. Option C (adding developers) does not solve the clarity or interruption issues and may disrupt the team. Option D (increasing sprint duration) is not appropriate as it does not address the root cause and violates timeboxing principles.
JA
Written by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
This PMP practice question is part of Courseiva's free PMI certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the PMP exam.