The correct actions are to create a team charter with shared values, norms, and goals, and to conduct team-building activities. These two choices work together because team-building directly addresses the lack of collaboration and trust by fostering interpersonal relationships and psychological safety, while a team charter provides a clear framework for accountability and shared expectations, both of which are foundational for a high-performing team. On the PMP exam, this question tests your understanding of the "Develop Team" process and the tools for building trust in co-located teams, often appearing as a paired-response item where you must select two complementary actions. A common trap is choosing only one team-building method, like a social event, while ignoring the structural governance a charter provides. Memory tip: think "Charter for structure, Activities for trust"—together they form the blueprint for high performance.
PMP People — Leading Projects Practice Question
This PMP practice question tests your understanding of people — leading projects. Read the scenario carefully and evaluate each option against the stated constraints before committing to an answer. 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 project team is co-located, but you have noticed a lack of collaboration and trust among members. Which TWO actions would BEST help build a high-performing team? (Choose two)
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "best"
Why it matters: Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Organize team-building activities to improve relationships
Option C is correct because team-building activities directly address the lack of collaboration and trust by fostering interpersonal relationships and psychological safety, which are foundational for a high-performing team. Option E is correct because a team charter establishes shared values, norms, and goals, providing a clear framework for collaboration and accountability, which aligns with PMI's emphasis on creating a team environment that promotes high performance.
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.
✗
Assign team members to work independently on separate tasks to avoid conflict
Why it's wrong here
Working independently reduces collaboration and does not build teamwork.
✗
Immediately address any underperformance with formal warnings
Why it's wrong here
Focusing on underperformance before building trust may be counterproductive.
✓
Organize team-building activities to improve relationships
Why this is correct
Team-building activities enhance trust and collaboration.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Conduct one-on-one meetings with each team member to discuss their concerns
Why it's wrong here
One-on-one meetings are good for individual issues but don't directly build team cohesion.
✓
Create a team charter with shared values, norms, and goals
Why this is correct
A team charter sets expectations and aligns the team.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "best" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often confuse individual conflict resolution (like one-on-one meetings) with team-level interventions, or they mistakenly believe that avoiding conflict (by separating team members) is a valid strategy for building a high-performing team, when in fact it prevents the team from developing the necessary collaboration and trust.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Team-building activities are grounded in Tuckman's stages of group development (forming, storming, norming, performing) and help move the team from storming to norming by creating shared experiences and reducing interpersonal friction. A team charter, as defined in the PMBOK Guide, is a document that establishes team values, agreements, and operating guidelines, which directly supports the 'Develop Team' process by aligning expectations and reducing ambiguity. In real-world scenarios, co-located teams often suffer from 'proximity without connection,' where physical closeness does not automatically translate to trust; deliberate interventions like these are necessary to overcome social barriers.
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.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this PMP question in full detail.
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: Organize team-building activities to improve relationships — Option C is correct because team-building activities directly address the lack of collaboration and trust by fostering interpersonal relationships and psychological safety, which are foundational for a high-performing team. Option E is correct because a team charter establishes shared values, norms, and goals, providing a clear framework for collaboration and accountability, which aligns with PMI's emphasis on creating a team environment that promotes high performance.
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: "best". Signals that multiple options may be partially correct. Choose the option that most directly solves the exact problem described, not the one that sounds most complete.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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. A project team has low trust and poor collaboration. The project manager wants to build a high-performing team. Which of the following is the MOST effective first step?
medium
A.Conduct a team-building event, such as a social gathering.
B.Identify and resolve the biggest conflict in the team.
✓ C.Develop a team charter that defines values, communication norms, and conflict resolution processes.
D.Introduce daily stand-up meetings.
Why C: Developing a team charter is the most effective first step because it establishes a shared foundation of values, communication norms, and conflict resolution processes, which directly addresses low trust and poor collaboration by creating psychological safety and clear expectations. This aligns with the PMBOK Guide's emphasis on team charter as a key tool for forming a high-performing team, as it proactively prevents conflicts rather than reactively resolving them.
Last reviewed: Jun 24, 2026
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