PMP People — Leading Projects Practice Question
Your hybrid project team consists of five local members and three remote members in different time zones. Recently, the remote team members have been missing daily stand-up meetings, and their task completion rate has dropped. When you ask, they say they feel disconnected and their input is often overlooked during the meetings. What should the project manager do FIRST?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently choose Option B (recordings) or Option D (reminders) because they seem like quick fixes, but the PMP exam emphasizes addressing the root cause of team disengagement through inclusive scheduling and technology, not just documentation or discipline.
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
✓
Adjust the meeting schedule to rotate times and use video conferencing with collaboration tools to ensure remote members can contribute
It directly addresses the root cause of disconnection and overlooked input by rotating meeting times to accommodate different time zones and using video conferencing with collaboration tools to foster inclusion. This aligns with the hybrid project management principle of adapting communication methods to ensure all team members can actively participate, which is a key leadership responsibility in the People domain.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Cancel the daily stand-ups and use asynchronous communication instead
Why it's wrong here
Canceling daily stand-ups removes a critical synchronous communication channel vital for agile teams to quickly identify impediments, synchronize efforts, and foster team cohesion. Relying solely on asynchronous communication for daily updates lacks the immediacy and interactive nature required for real-time problem-solving and emergent issue resolution, potentially leading to delays and reduced team alignment.
- ✗
Record the stand-up meetings and share the recordings with remote members
Why it's wrong here
Recording stand-up meetings and sharing them with remote members is a passive information delivery method that fails to address the core need for active participation and engagement. This approach does not allow remote team members to ask questions, provide immediate input, or feel integrated into the real-time discussion, thereby perpetuating their feeling of being overlooked and hindering collaborative problem-solving.
- ✓
Adjust the meeting schedule to rotate times and use video conferencing with collaboration tools to ensure remote members can contribute
Why this is correct
Adjusting the meeting schedule to rotate times directly addresses time zone challenges, ensuring all team members have equitable opportunities to attend and participate actively over time. Utilizing video conferencing with integrated collaboration tools (e.g., shared whiteboards, chat) further facilitates real-time interaction, fosters inclusivity, and enables remote members to contribute meaningfully, thereby strengthening team cohesion and productivity.
- ✗
Remind the remote team members of their responsibilities and the importance of attending meetings
Why it's wrong here
Reminding remote team members of their responsibilities without addressing the underlying systemic issues, such as inconvenient meeting times or lack of inclusive tools, is a counterproductive and blame-oriented approach. This tactic fails to identify and resolve the root cause of non-attendance, damages team morale and trust, and does not align with a project manager's role in facilitating team success and removing impediments.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Introduction to the PMP Exam and Project Management Basics
Key term
Hybrid Project Management
Hybrid Project Management is a flexible approach that combines elements of traditional waterfall project management with agile methodologies to adapt to project and organizational needs.
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.