POPM PI Planning Preparation Practice Question
A team expresses concern during PI Planning that they lack the skills for a specific feature. What should the Product Manager do?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often suggest 'training the team' immediately, which is unrealistic during PI Planning. They fail to see that the PM must collaborate with the RTE to adjust scope.
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
✓
Work with the team and the Release Train Engineer to find a solution or adjust the scope.
The Product Manager needs to facilitate a solution, which might involve re-prioritizing the feature, moving it to another team, or organizing cross-training. Since the PM owns the product outcomes, they must ensure the team has the necessary support to deliver value. Ignoring the concern would lead to missed objectives or poor quality, so addressing it early is vital for maintaining the commitment and morale of the team during the PI.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Tell the team they must learn the skills immediately to meet the commitment.
Why it's wrong here
Demanding immediate skill acquisition is unrealistic and creates unnecessary stress. It does not solve the underlying capacity issue or skill gap during the planning phase. The PM should be a partner in problem-solving, not a source of pressure that disregards the team's professional feedback on their actual capabilities and readiness.
- ✗
Remove the feature from their plan and escalate to the business owners.
Why it's wrong here
Escalation is a last resort. The PM should first attempt to resolve the issue through collaboration with the team and other ART members. Removing the feature without trying to find an alternative way to deliver the value is reactive and does not demonstrate effective product leadership in a complex, multi-team environment.
- ✓
Work with the team and the Release Train Engineer to find a solution or adjust the scope.
Why this is correct
Collaboration is the best approach to solving capacity or skill issues. By working with the RTE and the team, the PM can determine if the feature can be reassigned, if support can be found elsewhere, or if scope adjustment is necessary. This ensures that the PI plan remains realistic and achievable.
- ✗
Ignore the concern and assume the team will figure it out during the sprint.
Why it's wrong here
Ignoring team concerns is a major failure of leadership. If a team says they lack the skills, they are providing critical information for planning. Assuming they will just 'figure it out' leads to significant project risks and almost certainly results in missed delivery dates and lower quality output during the iteration.
About these practice questions
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JA
Written and reviewed by Johnson Ajibi, MSc IT Security
Senior Network & Security Engineer · founder of Courseiva
Last reviewed September 2026 · checked against the official Scaled Agile exam blueprint
This POPM practice question is part of Courseiva's free Scaled Agile 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 POPM exam.