- A
Schedule a private meeting with the product owner to discuss roles and the importance of following the agreed communication protocols
Direct communication with the product owner addresses the root cause. It reinforces the project's governance and clarifies expectations.
- B
Report the product owner's behavior to the project sponsor for disciplinary action
Why wrong: Escalating without first discussing the issue with the product owner is not the PMI-recommended approach; it damages the relationship.
- C
Call a team meeting to remind everyone of the proper change control process
Why wrong: This may be needed later, but the immediate issue is the product owner's behavior, not the team's understanding.
- D
Instruct the team to ignore the product owner's instructions and follow only your directions
Why wrong: This creates more confusion and undermines the product owner's authority in defining requirements.
Quick Answer
The correct first step is to schedule a private meeting with the product owner to discuss roles and the importance of following agreed communication protocols. This approach aligns with the PMP’s emphasis on servant leadership and stakeholder management, where the project manager addresses conflict through coaching rather than confrontation. When a product owner bypasses the project manager and gives direct instructions to the team, it undermines the agile framework and risks scope creep, as the team may begin working on unapproved features. On the PMP exam, this scenario tests your ability to prioritize collaborative conflict resolution over escalation or immediate team correction. A common trap is to directly correct the team first, but the root cause lies with the product owner’s misunderstanding of their role. Remember the memory tip: “Coach the coach, not the crew”—address the bypassing behavior with the product owner privately before realigning the team.
PMP People — Leading Projects Practice Question
This PMP practice question tests your understanding of people — leading projects. Compare every option against the stated constraints before choosing — the best answer satisfies all requirements, not just the most obvious one. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
Your agile team has been consistently delivering high-quality increments, but the product owner recently started bypassing you and giving direct instructions to the development team. The team is confused and some have started working on unapproved features. What should you do first?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue:
"first"Why it matters: Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
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 private meeting with the product owner to discuss roles and the importance of following the agreed communication protocols
Option A is correct because the first step in resolving this conflict is to have a private, collaborative discussion with the product owner to clarify roles, responsibilities, and the agreed communication protocols. This aligns with the PMI-ACP and PMP focus on servant leadership and stakeholder management, where direct confrontation is avoided in favor of coaching and realignment. Bypassing the Scrum Master undermines the agile framework and can lead to scope creep, so addressing the root cause with the product owner is the most appropriate initial action.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Schedule a private meeting with the product owner to discuss roles and the importance of following the agreed communication protocols
Why this is correct
Direct communication with the product owner addresses the root cause. It reinforces the project's governance and clarifies expectations.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "first" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- ✗
Report the product owner's behavior to the project sponsor for disciplinary action
Why it's wrong here
Escalating without first discussing the issue with the product owner is not the PMI-recommended approach; it damages the relationship.
- ✗
Call a team meeting to remind everyone of the proper change control process
Why it's wrong here
This may be needed later, but the immediate issue is the product owner's behavior, not the team's understanding.
- ✗
Instruct the team to ignore the product owner's instructions and follow only your directions
Why it's wrong here
This creates more confusion and undermines the product owner's authority in defining requirements.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often choose Option C (calling a team meeting) because they think reinforcing the change control process is the safest first step, but the PMP exam emphasizes resolving conflicts privately and directly with the stakeholder before involving the team.
Trap categories for this question
Similar concept trap
This creates more confusion and undermines the product owner's authority in defining requirements.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
In agile frameworks like Scrum, the product owner is the single source of truth for requirements, but they must communicate through the Scrum Master to protect the team from disruption. The Scrum Master acts as a servant leader and process coach, ensuring that the product owner does not directly assign work to the development team, which would bypass the sprint backlog and the team's self-organization. A real-world scenario where this matters is when a product owner, under pressure from stakeholders, tries to add features mid-sprint; the Scrum Master must intervene diplomatically to maintain sprint integrity without damaging the relationship.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
- Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
- Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
- Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
- Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A practitioner preparing for the PMP exam encounters this exact type of scenario on the job. The correct answer here is not the most general option — it is the best answer for the specific constraint described. Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option. Real exam questions reward reading the full scenario before eliminating options, because the constraint defines which answer fits.
What to study next
Got this wrong? Here's your next step.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
- →
People — Leading Projects — study guide chapter
Learn the concepts, then practise the questions
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this PMP question test?
People — Leading Projects — This question tests People — Leading Projects — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Schedule a private meeting with the product owner to discuss roles and the importance of following the agreed communication protocols — Option A is correct because the first step in resolving this conflict is to have a private, collaborative discussion with the product owner to clarify roles, responsibilities, and the agreed communication protocols. This aligns with the PMI-ACP and PMP focus on servant leadership and stakeholder management, where direct confrontation is avoided in favor of coaching and realignment. Bypassing the Scrum Master undermines the agile framework and can lead to scope creep, so addressing the root cause with the product owner is the most appropriate initial action.
What should I do if I get this PMP question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "first". Order matters here. You are being tested on which action comes before the others — not which action is generally useful.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
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.
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