PMP People — Leading Projects Practice Question
Your project team is newly formed, and you notice that members are hesitant to share ideas during meetings. To build a high-performing team, what should you do first?
⚠ Common exam trap
Test-takers frequently choose a quick, feel-good solution like icebreakers or verbal encouragement, overlooking the structured, process-driven approach required by PMI to systematically build team norms and psychological safety.
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
✓
Encourage the team to develop a team charter that defines norms and expectations
A is correct because a team charter is a foundational tool in project management that establishes shared norms, expectations, and ground rules. By collaboratively developing the charter, the team builds psychological safety and clarity, which directly addresses the hesitation to share ideas. This aligns with the PMBOK Guide's emphasis on forming a high-performing team through agreed-upon behaviors and communication protocols.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✓
Encourage the team to develop a team charter that defines norms and expectations
Why this is correct
Encouraging a newly formed team to collaboratively develop a team charter is the most effective approach for addressing hesitation. This document explicitly defines team norms, communication protocols, decision-making processes, and conflict resolution strategies. By establishing these shared expectations and ground rules collectively, the team builds psychological safety and mutual trust, which are foundational for open contribution and reducing individual apprehension in expressing ideas.
- ✗
Assign a note-taker to record all ideas
Why it's wrong here
Assigning a note-taker primarily serves a documentation function, ensuring that ideas, once expressed, are recorded. However, this action does not address the underlying reasons for team members' hesitation to share ideas in the first place. It fails to build the necessary trust, clarify interpersonal expectations, or establish a safe environment that encourages proactive participation from a newly formed group.
- ✗
Tell the team that all ideas are welcome and no one will be judged
Why it's wrong here
While telling the team that all ideas are welcome is a positive and supportive gesture, verbal assurance alone is often insufficient to overcome deep-seated hesitation in a newly formed team. Without a structured, collaboratively agreed-upon framework like a team charter, these assurances lack the tangible commitment and explicit definition of behavioral norms required to genuinely foster psychological safety and consistent, uninhibited participation.
- ✗
Start each meeting with an icebreaker
Why it's wrong here
Starting meetings with an icebreaker can help facilitate initial introductions and foster a light, informal atmosphere among team members. However, this tactic is generally superficial and does not establish the foundational operational norms, roles, and expectations critical for a newly formed team to overcome significant hesitation. It addresses surface-level rapport rather than the deeper need for structured psychological safety and clear behavioral guidelines.
Go deeper
Related to this question
Learn chapter
Introduction to the PMP Exam and Project Management Basics
Key term
Project Management Plan
A formal, approved document that defines how a project is executed, monitored, controlled, and closed, serving as the single source of truth for the project team.
Key term
Training and Development
Training and Development is the process of enhancing team members' skills, knowledge, and competencies to improve project performance and achieve career growth.
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