PMP · Question #1163
Company A has a culture of adhering to policies and procedures. A project manager is applying an agile approach to their in-house software development project, but even with training, they are still u
The correct answer is A. Empower and coach the team members to focus on project delivery results.. When an agile team struggles in a traditional culture despite training, the project manager should first foster an environment of empowerment and coaching aligned with agile principles.
Question
Company A has a culture of adhering to policies and procedures. A project manager is applying an agile approach to their in-house software development project, but even with training, they are still unable to deliver efficiently. What should the project manager do first to improve this situation?
Options
- AEmpower and coach the team members to focus on project delivery results.
- BIdentify key team members who can influence others to contribute efficiently.
- CFollow company procedures and retrain team members on the agile approach.
- DAsk company management to delay the project and grant it additional time.
How the community answered
(19 responses)- A74% (14)
- B5% (1)
- C5% (1)
- D16% (3)
Why each option
When an agile team struggles in a traditional culture despite training, the project manager should first foster an environment of empowerment and coaching aligned with agile principles.
Agile success relies heavily on team self-organization and empowerment; coaching the team to focus on delivery results helps them embrace agile values and adapt within a procedural culture.
Identifying influencers might be part of a broader strategy, but the root issue is the team's ability to operate efficiently in an agile manner, which requires broader empowerment, not just identifying specific individuals.
Blindly following company procedures contradicts agile principles, and retraining the team when initial training didn't resolve the efficiency issue is unlikely to be the first successful step without addressing underlying cultural or empowerment issues.
Requesting a delay is a last resort and does not address the fundamental problem of the team's inability to deliver efficiently under the agile approach.
Concept tested: Agile principles and team empowerment
Topics
Community Discussion
4
Yuki V.Jan 25, 2026Confirmed A on my exam last month. In a policy-heavy culture the team is probably waiting to be told what to do, so the PM has to shift them toward self-organization and ownership first. Empowering and coaching gets them focused on delivering value rather than checking boxes, which is the real point of going agile. C sounds safe but just doubling down on training and procedures keeps the same bottleneck in place.
Wesley A.Jan 23, 2026Failed this one on my first attempt because I went with C. The trap is that a culture of adhering to policies sounds like you should just follow procedures and retrain, but the PMBOK mindset is that more training is not the fix when the real issue is a command-and-control culture clashing with agile values. A is the correct answer because agile delivery requires empowered teams, and coaching them to focus on results is the first step toward shifting that mindset. You have to address the cultural barrier directly rather than just throwing more training at people who already had training and still are not delivering.
Zlatan X.Jan 25, 2026Agreed on A, and the program governance angle reinforces it: if component teams keep missing benefits realization targets, the issue is never a training gap, it is a misalignment between the organizational culture and the delivery model, which is why coaching the team to own outcomes rather than follow directives is the only answer that addresses the root cultural interdependency.
Zlatan X.Jan 31, 2026A is the right call here because the real issue is a governance and culture mismatch at the organizational level, not a knowledge gap. Option C is the tempting trap because retraining sounds safe and procedural, but if the culture already chokes delivery through rigid policy adherence, more training just compounds the problem. The PM needs to shift focus to outcomes and empower the team to work within constraints rather than asking them to follow more rules. From a benefits realization standpoint, coaching toward delivery results is the only option that actually moves the needle on value.