PMP People — Leading Projects Practice Question
Your project team is distributed across four countries, and you notice that communication is breaking down, leading to misunderstandings and rework. The team members are not using the collaboration tools effectively. What should the project manager do FIRST?
⚠ Common exam trap
The trap here is that candidates often jump to a tactical solution (like replacing tools or adding roles) instead of first establishing a shared framework for communication, which is a core principle of the PMP's 'People' domain.
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
✓
Create a team charter that outlines communication norms, tool usage, and meeting schedules.
The first step in addressing communication breakdowns is to establish clear expectations and norms. A team charter defines how the team will communicate, which tools to use, and meeting schedules, aligning the distributed team on a shared framework. This proactive approach prevents misunderstandings and rework by setting ground rules before investing in new tools or roles.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Create a team charter that outlines communication norms, tool usage, and meeting schedules.
Why this is correct
A team charter is a foundational document that establishes clear expectations and guidelines for how the team will operate, particularly crucial for distributed environments. By outlining communication norms, preferred tool usage, and agreed-upon meeting schedules, it proactively addresses potential ambiguities and ensures all team members understand their roles and responsibilities in maintaining effective information flow. This structured approach fosters a cohesive working environment and minimizes misunderstandings from the outset.
- ✗
Replace the current collaboration tools with more user-friendly software.
Why it's wrong here
Replacing collaboration tools, while potentially beneficial, is a superficial solution if the underlying issues stem from a lack of defined communication processes or team norms. Simply introducing more user-friendly software does not guarantee improved communication if team members are not aligned on how to use the tools effectively, when to communicate, or what information needs to be shared. This approach fails to address the behavioral and procedural aspects critical for distributed team success.
- ✗
Assign a communication lead in each location to facilitate information flow.
Why it's wrong here
Assigning a communication lead in each location introduces an additional layer of complexity and potential communication bottlenecks, rather than streamlining information flow. This approach centralizes communication through specific individuals, which can delay responses, create single points of failure, and disempower other team members from direct engagement. A more effective strategy involves empowering the entire team with clear guidelines for direct and transparent communication, as established in a team charter.
- ✗
Mandate daily video calls for all team members to improve communication.
Why it's wrong here
Mandating daily video calls for all team members, especially across multiple time zones, is often counterproductive and can lead to significant team fatigue and decreased productivity. Such a rigid schedule fails to consider individual work styles, time zone differences, and the actual necessity of synchronous communication for every daily interaction. Effective communication prioritizes quality and purpose over quantity, leveraging asynchronous methods where appropriate to respect team members' time and focus.
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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.