PMP · Question #110
An IT project manager for a project that is 50% complete learns that a critical team member plans to relocate to another country soon. The team member is needed for the remainder of the project. How s
The correct answer is D. Set up a weekly video conference to monitor the progress of the team member's work. To maintain team dynamics and leverage a critical relocating team member's expertise, the project manager should facilitate continued remote collaboration through regular virtual meetings.
Question
An IT project manager for a project that is 50% complete learns that a critical team member plans to relocate to another country soon. The team member is needed for the remainder of the project. How should the project manager improve team dynamics?
Options
- ARequire that all team members be physically present for the weekly project review
- BOffer the team member an incentive to stay until the end of the project
- CReplace the team member with someone who has similar qualifications and is located closer
- DSet up a weekly video conference to monitor the progress of the team member's work
How the community answered
(20 responses)- A5% (1)
- B10% (2)
- D85% (17)
Why each option
To maintain team dynamics and leverage a critical relocating team member's expertise, the project manager should facilitate continued remote collaboration through regular virtual meetings.
Requiring physical presence for weekly reviews is impossible for a team member relocating to another country and would lead to their departure, which the question implies should be avoided.
Offering incentives might be a strategy to retain someone *before* they've decided to move, but once relocation is planned, it's often not feasible or the primary way to 'improve team dynamics' for the whole team in a remote setup.
Replacing a critical team member halfway through a project introduces significant risks (knowledge transfer, onboarding time, ramp-up time) and is generally a last resort, especially if remote work is a viable option.
Given the team member's critical role and the project being 50% complete, retaining their expertise remotely is often preferable to replacing them. Setting up regular video conferences establishes a structured communication channel, allowing for continued collaboration, monitoring of progress, and maintaining team dynamics despite the physical distance, ensuring the team member can still contribute effectively.
Concept tested: Managing virtual teams and remote collaboration
Topics
Community Discussion
7
Wesley A.Jul 5, 2026D is correct. I bit on C the first time because swapping the team member sounds clean, but the question is about improving team dynamics, not replacing people, and a weekly video conference keeps the critical member engaged and connected after the relocation.
Yusuf A.Jun 19, 2026I first leaned toward B because it seemed like the quickest fix, but my senior PM pointed out that offering incentives to retain someone who is relocating is unrealistic and not a sustainable team dynamics solution. D is the right call because virtual collaboration tools are exactly how you keep a distributed team member integrated and monitored.
Imani T.Jun 20, 2026D is the right answer but your senior PM is stating the obvious like its wisdom - the real reason B is wrong is that PMP exam logic wants you to pick the option that keeps the team functioning, not the one that throws money at a problem.
Brenda K.Jul 5, 2026D. C is tempting but PMI prefers virtual collaboration over replacing people.
Hiroshi T.Jul 7, 2026Agreed on D, but the cleaner rationale is that PMBOK 7 treats virtual teams as a delivery model decision, not a staffing reduction strategy, so the distractor fails on scope, not preference.
Imani T.Jun 28, 2026D is the right call here because PMP wants you to adapt to the situation with communication tools, not force people to stay or swap them out. Anyone know if the exam always favors virtual collaboration over replacement when a key person becomes remote, or are there scenarios where C would be correct?
Hiroshi T.Jul 5, 2026D is correct per the PMBOK Guide Seventh Edition, section on managing virtual teams and adapting to resource availability changes. Has anyone seen a recent variant where the team member is the only SME on a niche technology, and does that change the expected answer toward knowledge transfer planning instead?