POPM PI Planning Preparation Practice Question
How should a Product Manager handle a critical dependency from another team that cannot be resolved during PI Planning?
⚠ Common exam trap
Candidates often believe the Product Manager should resolve external team dependencies independently, overlooking official program escalation channels like the RTE.
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
✓
Escalate the issue through the proper program channels.
If a critical dependency remains unresolved, the PM must escalate it to the Release Train Engineer (RTE) and the Program Management Office (PMO) for visibility and assistance. The goal is to ensure the dependency is tracked on the Program Board and that a clear mitigation plan is established. Transparency is crucial here to ensure stakeholders understand the risk and the potential impact on the PI objectives.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
- ✗
Ignore the dependency and hope it resolves itself.
Why it's wrong here
Ignoring a critical dependency is reckless. Dependencies rarely resolve themselves without intervention. Doing so will lead to significant blockers during the execution phase, causing frustration, delays, and a high probability of missing the PI objectives. Proactive management of risks and dependencies is a fundamental responsibility of the Product Manager.
- ✓
Escalate the issue through the proper program channels.
Why this is correct
Escalation is the correct professional approach when a conflict cannot be resolved at the planning level. It alerts leadership to the risk so they can provide the necessary resources, prioritization, or guidance. This transparency ensures that the program does not proceed with an unrealistic plan that is guaranteed to fail.
- ✗
Automatically remove the affected feature from the backlog.
Why it's wrong here
Arbitrarily removing a feature is a knee-jerk reaction. There might be ways to work around the dependency, or the other team might be able to accommodate it with some help. The issue should be explored and escalated first; removing the feature without exhaustively trying to resolve the bottleneck is wasteful.
- ✗
Instruct the team to work on the dependency themselves.
Why it's wrong here
Asking a team to do work that belongs to another team creates context-switching and potential technical debt. It also interferes with that other team's autonomy and expertise. The focus should be on cross-team collaboration and clearing the path, not on forcing teams to take on work outside their specific expertise.
Visual reference
About these practice questions
One of 336 original POPM practice questions on Courseiva, each with a full explanation and wrong-answer analysis — not exam dumps or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
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.