PMP · Question #1223
A company is transitioning from a predictive approach to an agile approach. A project manager is assigned to the first pilot with an inexperienced team. Due to an unexpected event, the whole team is…
The correct answer is A. Coach team members to increase their engagement and collaboration. A project manager, acting as a servant leader, observes a lack of commitment from an inexperienced, remote agile team during a transitional pilot project.
Question
A company is transitioning from a predictive approach to an agile approach. A project manager is assigned to the first pilot with an inexperienced team. Due to an unexpected event, the whole team is asked to work remotely. During the second sprint, the project manager starts to notice a lack of commitment from the team members. What should the project manager do in this situation as a servant leader?
Options
- ACoach team members to increase their engagement and collaboration.
- BRequest an exception to allow the team to return to work on-site.
- CForce the team to attend the daily standups to gather the project status.
- DAllow the team to address the problem as a self-organized team.
How the community answered
(17 responses)- A82% (14)
- B12% (2)
- D6% (1)
Why each option
A project manager, acting as a servant leader, observes a lack of commitment from an inexperienced, remote agile team during a transitional pilot project.
As a servant leader, the project manager's role is to support and enable the team, especially when facing challenges like a lack of commitment from an inexperienced, remote team. Coaching can help address underlying issues, foster engagement, improve collaboration, and guide the team towards self-organization and accountability.
Requesting an exception for on-site work might not be feasible or address the root cause of commitment issues, and it shifts the problem rather than empowering the team.
Forcing attendance at standups is a command-and-control approach, which goes against the principles of servant leadership and agile team empowerment, potentially increasing disengagement.
While self-organization is an agile principle, an inexperienced team demonstrating a lack of commitment, especially in a new remote setup, needs active support and coaching from the servant leader rather than being left entirely to themselves to resolve it.
Concept tested: Servant leadership in agile teams
Topics
Community Discussion
5
Viktor S.Jun 22, 2026A is the right call. Servant leaders coach and remove obstacles instead of forcing compliance, and with an inexperienced agile team thrown into remote work mid-transition, they need active guidance on engagement, not a mandate or a hands-off assumption that self-organization will magically fix things.
Grace U.May 29, 2026I first leaned toward D because empowering a self-organized team to solve their own problems sounds like the right agile move. But then I realized this team is inexperienced and brand new to agile, on top of dealing with a sudden shift to remote work. They likely don't have the skills yet to diagnose and fix a commitment issue on their own. As a servant leader, the PM needs to step in and coach them through this, which is exactly what A describes.
Viktor S.May 29, 2026A is right and your reasoning is sound, but the coaching itself should focus on helping the team understand why commitments keep slipping in a remote environment, not just walking them through a retro format.
Carlos M.Jun 13, 2026I first leaned toward D since self-organization is a big agile theme, but an inexperienced team newly working remote is not going to figure this out on their own. A is the servant leader move here - you coach them through the engagement and collaboration issues instead of stepping back and hoping they sort it out.
Wei W.Jun 28, 2026Leaned toward D first but inexperienced team needs coaching, not autonomy.