How to Build a High-Performing Team with Team-Building and a Team Charter
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)
Quick Answer
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.
⚠ Common exam trap
Many exam-takers 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.
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
✓
Organize team-building activities to improve relationships
Option C is correct because organizing team-building activities directly targets the lack of collaboration and trust by creating informal, positive interactions that strengthen interpersonal relationships and psychological safety among co-located members. Option E is correct because a team charter with shared values, norms, and goals establishes a common purpose and agreed-upon behavioral expectations, which is a foundational PMI practice for building a high-performing team and resolving the trust deficit. Option A is wrong because isolating members on separate tasks reduces interaction and would worsen the collaboration and trust problem rather than fix it. Option B is wrong because issuing formal warnings for underperformance is a disciplinary/punitive response that does not address relationship and trust issues and can further erode team cohesion. Option D is wrong because one-on-one meetings, while useful for surfacing individual concerns, address issues individually rather than building the collective trust and shared norms needed for a high-performing team.
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
Isolating members on separate tasks removes interaction, which prevents the collaboration and trust the stem requires. It is tempting as a way to avoid conflict, and it would suit work needing minimal coordination. Co-located team-building and shared objectives instead create the required trust.
- ✗
Immediately address any underperformance with formal warnings
Why it's wrong here
Formal warnings address disciplinary process, not the trust and collaboration deficit described. They are tempting because underperformance feels urgent, and warnings would be correct for persistent misconduct after informal steps. The stem needs team-building and shared goals to rebuild trust.
- ✓
Organize team-building activities to improve relationships
Why this is correct
Team-building activities create informal interaction that builds interpersonal trust and psychological safety, the foundation for collaboration among co-located members. Shared positive experiences reduce friction and encourage openness, directly targeting the trust deficit identified in the stem.
- ✗
Conduct one-on-one meetings with each team member to discuss their concerns
Why it's wrong here
One-on-one meetings surface individual concerns but do not build shared trust or collaboration across the team, which is the stem's problem. They are tempting because they are a standard tool for understanding personal issues. Team-building activities and a shared team charter address collective trust directly.
- ✓
Create a team charter with shared values, norms, and goals
Why this is correct
A team charter codifies shared values, norms and goals, giving members explicit behavioural expectations and a common purpose. This structured agreement aligns the co-located team and provides a reference for resolving conflict, addressing the collaboration and trust gap described.
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Same concept, more angles
1 more way this is tested on PMP
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.
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.