PMP People — Leading Projects Practice Question
Your project team has been working remotely for the past six months. You notice that collaboration has decreased, and team members seem isolated. What is the BEST action to improve team cohesion?
⚠ Common exam trap
A common mix-up: candidates confuse 'accountability' (Option D) with 'team cohesion,' mistakenly thinking more structured meetings will fix isolation, when in fact they can worsen it by reinforcing a task-focused, impersonal dynamic.
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 weekly virtual coffee chats and informal team events
It directly addresses the root cause of decreased collaboration and isolation by creating informal, low-pressure opportunities for team members to connect socially. In a remote environment, formal meetings often fail to build the interpersonal bonds necessary for team cohesion, so virtual coffee chats and informal events are a proven technique from the PMBOK Guide's 'Team Building' and 'Virtual Team Management' practices. This action fosters trust and communication without imposing additional work-related pressure, which is essential for remote teams.
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 weekly virtual coffee chats and informal team events
Why this is correct
Scheduling weekly virtual coffee chats and informal team events directly addresses the challenge of fostering team cohesion and combating isolation in remote environments. These informal interactions create opportunities for team members to build rapport, develop trust, and strengthen interpersonal relationships outside of task-focused discussions. This proactive approach enhances psychological safety and a sense of belonging, which are critical for sustained team performance and morale.
- ✗
Send a survey to ask team members what they want, then decide later
Why it's wrong here
Sending a survey to ask team members what they want, then deciding later, represents a reactive and potentially delayed approach to a pressing team cohesion issue. While gathering input is valuable for understanding specific needs, a project manager should also demonstrate proactive leadership by initiating immediate, tangible actions to improve team dynamics. Deferring all action pending survey results can prolong the problem and may be perceived as indecisive, failing to provide the immediate support a remote team might need.
- ✗
Require all team members to work from the office two days a week
Why it's wrong here
Requiring all team members to work from the office two days a week is a disruptive and potentially counterproductive solution for a remote team experiencing low cohesion. This mandate could contradict established remote work policies, create logistical burdens for team members, and fail to address the underlying need for improved social connection, which can be achieved virtually. Furthermore, it may lead to decreased morale and flexibility, rather than fostering genuine team unity.
- ✗
Increase the frequency of status meetings to ensure accountability
Why it's wrong here
Increasing the frequency of status meetings to ensure accountability is unlikely to improve social connections or address team isolation; in fact, it could exacerbate meeting fatigue. Status meetings are typically formal, task-oriented sessions focused on progress updates and issue resolution, not on building interpersonal relationships or fostering informal communication. Overloading the team with more formal meetings can reduce productive work time and further alienate members seeking more meaningful, informal interactions.
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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.