PMP People — Leading Projects Practice Question
Your agile team has a low-performing member who is struggling with the technology stack. The rest of the team is becoming frustrated because they have to cover for them. What is the BEST approach to handle this situation?
⚠ Common exam trap
Many candidates choose Option A (removal) because they mistake a performance issue for a behavioral problem, overlooking the PMI emphasis on developing team members and using servant leadership to address skill gaps before considering team changes.
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
✓
Provide additional training and pair the member with a senior developer for knowledge transfer
It addresses the root cause of the low performance—lack of proficiency with the technology stack—through targeted training and pairing with a senior developer. This approach aligns with the PMI Agile principles of servant leadership, team development, and collective ownership, as it invests in the team member's growth while maintaining team cohesion and productivity.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Remove the low-performing member from the team to avoid further disruption
Why it's wrong here
Removing a team member prematurely contradicts the PMP's emphasis on developing team members and fostering a supportive environment. As a project manager, the primary responsibility is to facilitate growth and resolve performance issues through coaching, training, or re-tasking, rather than immediate dismissal. Such an action can also negatively impact team morale and stability, signaling a lack of commitment to individual development and problem-solving within the team.
- ✓
Provide additional training and pair the member with a senior developer for knowledge transfer
Why this is correct
This approach aligns perfectly with PMP principles of team development and servant leadership, focusing on empowering the individual to improve. Providing targeted training addresses skill gaps directly, while pairing with a senior developer facilitates practical knowledge transfer and mentorship. This strategy not only enhances the struggling member's capabilities but also strengthens overall team expertise and fosters a collaborative culture, ultimately boosting project performance and team cohesion.
- ✗
Ask the team to continue covering for the member until they improve
Why it's wrong here
Expecting the rest of the team to perpetually cover for a low-performing member is unsustainable and detrimental to team morale. This approach can quickly lead to burnout, resentment, and a perception of unfairness among high-performing members, eroding team cohesion and productivity. A project manager's role includes protecting the team from undue stress and ensuring equitable distribution of work, making this a counterproductive and demotivating strategy.
- ✗
Reduce the member's workload to only simple tasks
Why it's wrong here
While seemingly a temporary solution, reducing a member's workload to only simple tasks fails to address the underlying performance issues or skill gaps. This strategy prevents the individual from developing necessary competencies and can lead to stagnation, potentially creating a permanent dependency on others for complex work. A PMP-certified project manager should focus on root cause analysis and implementing solutions that foster long-term growth and self-sufficiency, rather than merely mitigating immediate symptoms.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Leading Teams and Empowering Team Members
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
Team Building
Team building is the process of creating a cohesive group of people who work together effectively toward a shared goal.
About these practice questions
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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.