PMP Managing Project Teams 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A project manager observes that a team is in the 'storming' stage of Tuckman's model. What is the MOST appropriate action?
- Ignore the conflict and let the team self-organize
- Provide clear structure, facilitate open communication, and mediate conflicts (Correct answer)
- Immediately restructure the team to eliminate friction
- Escalate all disputes to the project sponsor
Correct answer: Provide clear structure, facilitate open communication, and mediate conflicts
During storming, the project manager should provide structure and facilitate communication to help the team navigate conflicts and move toward norming.
Question 2: A project manager wants to use a co-location strategy. What is the PRIMARY benefit of this approach?
- It reduces the need for any formal communication plan
- It enhances team communication, collaboration, and cohesion (Correct answer)
- It eliminates the need for team meetings
- It guarantees project delivery within budget
Correct answer: It enhances team communication, collaboration, and cohesion
Co-location improves spontaneous communication and team cohesion by placing team members in the same physical space.
Question 3: According to Herzberg's Two-Factor Theory, which of the following is a MOTIVATOR (not a hygiene factor)?
- Competitive salary
- Safe working conditions
- Company policies
- Opportunities for professional growth and achievement (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Opportunities for professional growth and achievement
Herzberg identifies achievement, recognition, and growth as motivators, while salary and working conditions are hygiene factors that prevent dissatisfaction.
Question 4: A project manager is managing a team where one member consistently underperforms despite coaching. What is the NEXT appropriate step?
- Immediately remove the team member from the project
- Document the performance issue and follow the organization's HR process (Correct answer)
- Assign all the underperformer's tasks to other team members silently
- Publicly announce the team member's poor performance in a team meeting
Correct answer: Document the performance issue and follow the organization's HR process
After coaching fails, the project manager should document the issue and follow formal HR processes to address persistent underperformance.
Question 5: What is the purpose of a 'staffing management plan' within the Resource Management Plan?
- To define the project budget allocations for each team member
- To describe how resources will be acquired, managed, and released throughout the project (Correct answer)
- To list all stakeholders and their communication preferences
- To outline the project quality standards for deliverables
Correct answer: To describe how resources will be acquired, managed, and released throughout the project
The staffing management plan details how human resources will be acquired, onboarded, managed, and released during the project lifecycle.
Question 6: A team member from a collectivist culture is reluctant to voice disagreement with the group consensus during meetings. What should the project manager do?
- Force the team member to speak up publicly to overcome their discomfort
- Create anonymous feedback channels and one-on-one opportunities to share input (Correct answer)
- Assume agreement and proceed without seeking further input
- Transfer the team member to a different project
Correct answer: Create anonymous feedback channels and one-on-one opportunities to share input
Providing anonymous or private channels respects cultural norms while ensuring all perspectives are captured for better decision-making.
Question 7: Which of the following is an example of using 'recognition and rewards' effectively to motivate project team members?
- Giving all team members identical bonuses regardless of contribution
- Publicly recognizing a team member for solving a critical technical problem (Correct answer)
- Promising rewards that are outside the project manager's authority to grant
- Rewarding only the team lead while ignoring individual contributors
Correct answer: Publicly recognizing a team member for solving a critical technical problem
Public, specific recognition tied to a concrete achievement is an effective motivator that reinforces desired behaviors.
PMP Managing Project Teams 4
A project manager observes that a team is in the 'storming' stage of Tuckman's model.
What is the MOST appropriate action?