PMP Managing Project Teams 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A project is halfway complete and two team members have a personal conflict that is affecting productivity. The project manager has tried smoothing but it hasn't worked. What should be tried NEXT?
- Forcing a resolution by making a unilateral decision
- Compromising so each party gives up something (Correct answer)
- Avoiding the conflict until the project ends
- Escalating directly to senior management without discussion
Correct answer: Compromising so each party gives up something
Compromising is appropriate when smoothing fails and a quick resolution is needed, even though neither party fully gets what they want.
Question 2: According to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, which need must be met BEFORE a team member can be motivated by recognition and esteem?
- Self-actualization
- Safety and security
- Belonging and social needs (Correct answer)
- Physiological needs
Correct answer: Belonging and social needs
Maslow's hierarchy requires belonging/social needs to be satisfied before esteem needs can motivate behavior.
Question 3: A virtual project team spans five time zones. Team members report feeling disconnected and unmotivated. What is the BEST strategy to improve cohesion?
- Mandate overtime to finish faster and reduce project duration
- Schedule regular video check-ins and virtual team-building activities (Correct answer)
- Replace remote team members with local resources
- Use only asynchronous communication to reduce scheduling conflicts
Correct answer: Schedule regular video check-ins and virtual team-building activities
Regular video interactions and virtual team-building create social bonds and improve cohesion across distributed teams.
Question 4: A project manager wants to improve team performance using McClelland's Theory of Needs. A team member strongly driven by affiliation would be BEST motivated by:
- Opportunities for independent high-stakes decision making
- Recognition for individual achievements in public settings
- Collaborative work and strong interpersonal relationships (Correct answer)
- Clear authority and control over project outcomes
Correct answer: Collaborative work and strong interpersonal relationships
McClelland's affiliation need is satisfied by teamwork, social connection, and harmonious working relationships.
Question 5: Which tool is MOST useful for identifying the right person to contact for specific project information across a large project team?
- Risk register
- Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM) (Correct answer)
- Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
- Issue log
Correct answer: Responsibility Assignment Matrix (RAM)
A RAM (such as a RACI chart) maps team roles to deliverables, making it easy to identify who is responsible or accountable for specific information.
Question 6: During project execution, a high-performing team member announces they are resigning in two weeks. What should the project manager do FIRST?
- Immediately remove them from all project activities
- Update the risk register and assess the impact on schedule and deliverables (Correct answer)
- Demand the resource manager provide an identical replacement
- Ignore the issue and hope someone can cover the work
Correct answer: Update the risk register and assess the impact on schedule and deliverables
The project manager should first assess the impact on the project and update the risk register before taking any corrective action.
Question 7: What is the key difference between 'managing' a project team and 'leading' a project team?
- Managing focuses on inspiring vision; leading focuses on controlling processes
- Managing focuses on processes and compliance; leading focuses on inspiring and motivating people (Correct answer)
- There is no meaningful difference in modern project management
- Leading applies only to agile projects; managing applies to predictive projects
Correct answer: Managing focuses on processes and compliance; leading focuses on inspiring and motivating people
Management emphasizes planning, controlling, and executing processes, while leadership emphasizes inspiring, motivating, and guiding people toward goals.
PMP Managing Project Teams 3
A project is halfway complete and two team members have a personal conflict that is affecting productivity.
The project manager has tried smoothing but it hasn't worked.
What should be tried NEXT?