PMP · Question #1242
A project manager has taken over a project that has been without a project manager for the last couple of weeks. The team is feeling lost and there are a few team members who are confused about the…
The correct answer is A. Set short-term goals in order to create a winning culture internally and praise team members for. To address a team feeling lost and confused after a project manager's absence, the new project manager should establish clear, achievable short-term goals to create a winning culture and build team momentum.
Question
Options
- ASet short-term goals in order to create a winning culture internally and praise team members for
- BAsk the project sponsor to provide team members with a project direction regarding outcomes.
- CAvoid conflict and let the team self-organize on how they want to work on the project tasks.
- DEscalate the situation to the steering committee and request that more time be allotted to the
How the community answered
(32 responses)- A75% (24)
- B13% (4)
- C9% (3)
- D3% (1)
Why each option
To address a team feeling lost and confused after a project manager's absence, the new project manager should establish clear, achievable short-term goals to create a winning culture and build team momentum.
When a team is lost and confused, establishing clear, achievable short-term goals provides immediate direction, builds confidence, and creates a sense of accomplishment. This strategy helps to quickly re-engage the team, establish leadership, and begin rebuilding morale and momentum by focusing on tangible progress.
While the sponsor's input on overall direction is important, the project manager's role is to lead the team directly, translating strategic goals into actionable steps, not to delegate the team's immediate direction to the sponsor.
A lost and confused team needs leadership and direction, not further ambiguity; allowing them to self-organize without initial guidance would likely perpetuate confusion and inefficiency.
Escalating to the steering committee and immediately requesting more time is premature; the project manager's first step should be to stabilize the team internally by providing clear leadership and direction.
Concept tested: Team leadership and motivation
Source: https://www.pmi.org/pmbok-guide-standards/foundational/pmbok
Topics
Community Discussion
4
Orla P.Nov 20, 2025A is correct. When a team is feeling lost, setting short-term goals gives them immediate direction and quick wins, which rebuilds momentum and confidence without waiting on someone else to step in.
Nina C.Nov 15, 2025Coming from a teaching background so this one clicks for me. When students are confused about where things are heading, you give them quick wins to rebuild confidence before tackling the big picture. Option A works the same way here because short-term goals give the team something concrete to rally around and that praise piece rebuilds morale after being leaderless. B sounds tempting but pushing direction back to the sponsor feels like the PM is avoiding ownership of the situation. One thing I am still fuzzy on, does the PMP always favor the PM establishing those goals themselves rather than involving the team in creating them?
Ingrid P.Dec 8, 2025Saw this one on my exam last month, picked A because the PMBOK is big on recognizing team members and building that winning culture early. The key trigger is the team feeling lost, which points to short-term goals to rebuild momentum rather than escalating or letting them flounder. Made a flashcard for this: front says team confused after PM transition, back says set short-term goals and praise.
Lena V.Nov 27, 2025I first leaned toward B because the team is confused about outcomes and getting sponsor direction sounds logical. But the PMs job is to provide that direction, not punt it to the sponsor. A is correct because setting short-term goals gives the team immediate clarity and wins, which rebuilds momentum after the leadership gap. The praise component reinforces positive behavior and gets everyone re-aligned without waiting on an escalation. Confirmed A on exam last week.