PMP · Question #1422
A project manager receives an email from a customer saying that they do not want to keep working with one of the project team members. The customer does not provide any reasons for this sentiment…
The correct answer is B. Talk to the customer and project team member separately to assess the issue and decide on the. When a customer requests a team member's removal without reason, the project manager should separately consult both the customer and the team member to understand the underlying issues before making any decisions.
Question
A project manager receives an email from a customer saying that they do not want to keep working with one of the project team members. The customer does not provide any reasons for this sentiment. The project manager is concerned because this project team member is highly skilled and experienced and is key in one of the main project deliverables. What should the project manager do to ease the situation?
Options
- AAsk the project team member to call the customer to apologize for their behavior.
- BTalk to the customer and project team member separately to assess the issue and decide on the
- CRemove the project team member immediately and assign the pending activities to other team
- DTell the customer that they do not have the authority to remove project team members.
How the community answered
(58 responses)- A2% (1)
- B78% (45)
- C7% (4)
- D14% (8)
Why each option
When a customer requests a team member's removal without reason, the project manager should separately consult both the customer and the team member to understand the underlying issues before making any decisions.
Asking a team member to apologize without understanding the root cause is premature, unfair, and could worsen the situation or create resentment.
This approach exemplifies effective conflict resolution and stakeholder management by ensuring all perspectives are heard confidentially, allowing the project manager to gather facts, assess the situation objectively, and make an informed decision without prematurely escalating the conflict or damaging relationships.
Immediately removing a highly skilled team member based on an unsubstantiated complaint can severely impact project progress and team morale, as well as being an uninformed decision.
Challenging the customer's authority without addressing their concerns is confrontational and harms stakeholder relationships, failing to resolve the underlying problem.
Concept tested: Conflict resolution and stakeholder communication
Topics
Community Discussion
7
Hiroshi T.Mar 19, 2026B is correct. Per the PMBOK Guide, the project manager is responsible for managing stakeholder engagement and should investigate issues before taking any action. Removing the team member or telling the customer they lack authority would be premature and would likely escalate the conflict. The proper approach is to meet with both the customer and the team member separately to gather facts, understand the root cause of the concern, and then decide on the appropriate next steps.
Mei-Ling H.Mar 23, 2026B is correct. Note stem says no reasons given, so investigate first before acting.
Orla P.Apr 2, 2026B confirmed. You need facts from both sides before acting on a complaint.
Hiroshi T.Apr 3, 2026Agreed on B, but worth noting the blueprint frames it as gathering information from both the complainant and the subject of the complaint, not just two generic sides, so word matching trips people up when the options paraphrase that.
Ola B.Apr 17, 2026Leaned toward D first but PMI wants you to investigate both sides, so B.
Mei-Ling H.Apr 18, 2026B is right but I want to flag the word both because some versions of this question say most likely which narrows you to a single side after you investigate, so read your exact stem.
Wei W.Apr 13, 2026B is the right call here. You cant act on a sentiment without understanding it first, and removing a key contributor without context would hurt the deliverable and the team. Anyone know if the exam tends to frame this as a stakeholder engagement issue or a team management issue, since it seems to straddle both?