PMP · Question #1414
A team member is hosting an event and invites several colleagues through their work calendars. Another team member, who was not invited to the event, is noticeably distracted during several standup me
The correct answer is C. Set up a meeting with the distracted team member to discuss any issues.. Observing a team member's distraction, the project manager should first engage in a private conversation to understand the underlying issues affecting their performance and well-being.
Question
A team member is hosting an event and invites several colleagues through their work calendars. Another team member, who was not invited to the event, is noticeably distracted during several standup meetings. What should the project manager do?
Options
- AAsk the individual who is hosting the event to use private communication methods.
- BAsk the individual who is hosting the event to mark it as private.
- CSet up a meeting with the distracted team member to discuss any issues.
- DAdd a social events section to the charter to handle these situations.
How the community answered
(35 responses)- A3% (1)
- B9% (3)
- C71% (25)
- D17% (6)
Why each option
Observing a team member's distraction, the project manager should first engage in a private conversation to understand the underlying issues affecting their performance and well-being.
Asking the host to use private communication methods addresses the symptom (visibility of the invitation) but not the root cause of the distracted team member's feelings or issues.
Asking the host to mark the event as private on work calendars is a reactive measure that doesn't address the core issue of the team member's distraction or potential feelings of exclusion.
The project manager's primary responsibility is to maintain team productivity and address issues affecting individual team members. Setting up a private meeting with the distracted team member allows for a discreet conversation to understand the cause of their distraction and offer support or solutions without making assumptions.
Adding a social events section to the charter is an organizational policy change, which is too broad and slow to address an immediate performance issue with a specific team member.
Concept tested: Addressing team member performance and well-being
Topics
Community Discussion
9
Olusegun A.Mar 4, 2026C. You address the distraction directly with the team member instead of policing calendar invites, because the PMBOK wants you to investigate root causes through one-on-one communication before assuming the event exclusion is the actual problem.
Wesley A.Oct 31, 2025Confirmed C on exam last week. I almost picked B on my first attempt because marking events private sounds like a quick fix, but the real issue is the team member's distraction, so you address that directly before assuming the cause.
Nina C.Nov 14, 2025Going with C here because the real issue is the distraction showing up in standups, not the event itself. Quick question for anyone who has taken the exam recently, does PMI always want us to address the behavioral impact directly rather than trying to prevent the trigger, even when the trigger seems like an easy fix like marking the calendar private?
Lena V.Nov 18, 2025I first leaned toward B since marking the event private would prevent others from seeing it on shared calendars and causing friction. But the real issue the question is testing is the distracted team member, not the calendar settings. The PM needs to address the behavior directly and find out what is going on, which points to C. The exam wants you to focus on the people problem in front of you rather than trying to police communication tools.
Brenda K.Feb 27, 2026C is your fast pick here, maybe 20 seconds. The distractor answers all dance around the event host and calendar settings, but the real issue is the distracted team member, so you go straight to the source and have a one on one. A and B are time sinks because you are fixing a symptom, not the root cause, and D is a charter change that belongs nowhere near this situation. Flag B if you are unsure, but the PM always addresses the human element first. Is anyone else seeing these interpersonal questions pop up more in the agile section, or is it just me noticing them
Grace U.Mar 1, 2026You are right that C is the best answer because the human element comes first, but I would slow down on the 20 seconds since the exam wording on these often hides a nuance between direct conversation and coaching through the team lead, and yes, the agile section has definitely shifted toward more interpersonal scenarios.
Viktor S.Feb 19, 2026C is the right call here because you address the actual human problem, the distraction, instead of patching the calendar settings. The real question is whether anyone genuinely thinks a social events section in the charter is a sane use of that document, or did they just need a fourth distractor?
Grace U.Feb 19, 2026You are right that C addresses the root cause, but think of the charter less as a social planner and more as a communication agreement, where the team explicitly decides how to handle non-work chatter so it does not bleed into meeting time.
Grace U.Mar 13, 2026C is the right move here because the PM should go directly to the distracted team member and find out what is actually going on rather than making assumptions about the event being the cause. It is tempting to pick B, but how does the PM know the distraction is even related to the calendar invite situation?