PMP · Question #1413
A company is transitioning from a predictive approach to an agile approach. The team members work remotely, and some have personal conflicts that make them unavailable for some project ceremonies. The
The correct answer is C. Ask the team members to decide collectively on how to support the team.. As a servant leader, the project manager should empower the agile team to collectively determine the best approach to manage conflicts and ensure participation in ceremonies, fostering self-organization and accountability.
Question
A company is transitioning from a predictive approach to an agile approach. The team members work remotely, and some have personal conflicts that make them unavailable for some project ceremonies. The product owner has made it clear that the agenda is very tight and the team should make every effort to participate in all ceremonies. What should the project manager, as a servant leader, do to address this situation?
Options
- AEvaluate alternative options and try to find resources with similar skills.
- BEngage in separate ceremonies with these team members to allow them to stay on the project.
- CAsk the team members to decide collectively on how to support the team.
- DPerform the ceremonies without the team members and send them notes by email.
How the community answered
(62 responses)- A6% (4)
- B10% (6)
- C81% (50)
- D3% (2)
Why each option
As a servant leader, the project manager should empower the agile team to collectively determine the best approach to manage conflicts and ensure participation in ceremonies, fostering self-organization and accountability.
Evaluating alternative resources implies replacing team members, which is not the first step for a servant leader addressing internal team conflicts and goes against empowering the current team.
Engaging in separate ceremonies creates an 'us vs. them' dynamic, reduces transparency, and undermines the collective participation and collaboration that agile ceremonies are designed to foster.
In agile methodologies and as a servant leader, the project manager empowers the team to self-organize and collectively solve their own problems. Asking the team members to decide how to support the team encourages shared ownership and a sustainable solution, aligning with agile principles.
Performing ceremonies without key team members and merely sending notes removes their active participation, hinders communication, and prevents the team from collectively inspecting and adapting.
Concept tested: Servant leadership, Agile team self-organization
Source: https://www.pmi.org/pmbok-guide-standards/foundational/agile-practice-guide
Topics
Community Discussion
5
Samuel O.Oct 27, 2025C is correct. In my experience managing distributed teams, the servant leader approach means you facilitate the team solving its own problems rather than dictating a fix, so asking the members to collectively figure out how to support each other is exactly what the exam is looking for here.
Mateus R.Nov 10, 2025C is right. Servant leaders facilitate, they dont dictate, so let the team self-organize.
Toby R.Nov 13, 2025C is right but watch for the trap where one answer says facilitate and another says remove impediments, because both are servant leader duties and the stem wording decides which one they want.
Toby R.Oct 30, 2025Saw this exact stem on my exam last month, C is right because agile teams self-organize.
Samuel O.Nov 2, 2025Agreed on C, Toby, but the self-organizing part is only half of it - the real giveaway is that agile teams also own the prioritization within those iterations, which is what rules out the PMO-style options.