Project Management Professional (PMP)® Examination Content OutlinePeopleHard
A project manager is overseeing a highly innovative research and development project. The project requires frequent experimentation and adaptation. The team members are highly skilled and self-motivated but are reluctant to make decisions without the project manager's explicit approval, leading to delays. What is the MOST effective action for the project manager to take?
- ADelegate more authority to the team for specific types of decisions, providing clear boundaries and support.
- BIncrease the frequency of meetings to provide quicker approvals and reduce waiting times.
- CProvide additional training on risk management to help the team feel more confident in independent decision-making.
- DImplement a formal decision-making matrix that outlines roles and responsibilities for every decision.
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: A. Delegate more authority to the team for specific types of decisions, providing clear boundaries and support.
The team's reluctance to make decisions independently, despite being skilled, indicates a lack of empowerment. Delegating authority with clear boundaries and supportive guidance directly addresses this, fostering autonomy and reducing decision-making bottlenecks.
Why the other options are wrong
- B. Increasing meeting frequency is a reactive solution that doesn't solve the core problem of the team's reluctance to make independent decisions; it just makes the PM a faster bottleneck.
- C. The problem indicates a reluctance to make decisions, not a lack of risk management skills. While risk training is generally good, it won't directly address the empowerment gap.
- D. While a decision-making matrix can clarify roles, it might not address the underlying reluctance to exercise authority, potentially making the process more bureaucratic.
Empower Team Members
Granting team members the authority, resources, and trust to make decisions, take ownership, and manage their work independently within defined boundaries.
- Fosters autonomy and accountability.
- Increases motivation and job satisfaction.
- Improves efficiency and responsiveness.
Memory trick: To unleash team power, delegate decisions, not just tasks.