Project Management Professional (PMP)® Examination Content OutlineProcessHard
A project manager is leading a marketing campaign project. The project is experiencing frequent delays because the creative team is consistently underestimating the time required for design tasks, leading to bottlenecks. The project manager has tried individual coaching, but the issue persists. What is the MOST appropriate next action for the project manager to resolve this impediment?
- AReplace the creative team members with more experienced personnel.
- BAdjust the project schedule to accommodate the creative team's consistent delays.
- CFacilitate a collaborative session with the creative team to re-evaluate their estimation process and identify solutions.
- DEscalate the issue to senior management for intervention and disciplinary action.
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: C. Facilitate a collaborative session with the creative team to re-evaluate their estimation process and identify solutions.
When individual coaching is ineffective, a collaborative approach with the team is often necessary to address persistent impediments. Facilitating a session to collectively re-evaluate the estimation process empowers the team to identify root causes and develop their own solutions, leading to better buy-in and more sustainable improvements.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Replacing team members is a drastic measure and may not address systemic issues.
- B. Adjusting the schedule without addressing the root cause will likely lead to future delays.
- D. Escalation for disciplinary action should be a last resort after attempting collaborative resolution.
Impediment Resolution
The process of identifying, analyzing, and removing obstacles or blockers that hinder a project team's progress and performance.
- Focuses on empowering the team to find solutions where possible.
- Requires understanding the root cause of the impediment.
- Escalation is typically considered after team-level efforts are exhausted.
Memory trick: Bottleneck's stuck? Team collaboration's the key to unluck.