PMP · Question #1434
A self-organizing team was delivering as committed. The team accepted a development task with new technology and the iterations started to have reduced velocity. What management decision is suited…
The correct answer is D. Provide opportunity for team members to learn and adjust to the technology. When an agile team's velocity drops due to new technology, the project manager should support the team by providing learning opportunities and time to adapt, aligning with self-organizing principles.
Question
A self-organizing team was delivering as committed. The team accepted a development task with new technology and the iterations started to have reduced velocity. What management decision is suited for this situation?
Options
- AMove team members who are not performing from the team.
- BAdd new members to the team and increase the velocity.
- CRe-assign the project to a team that has worked with this technology.
- DProvide opportunity for team members to learn and adjust to the technology.
How the community answered
(25 responses)- A12% (3)
- B4% (1)
- C4% (1)
- D80% (20)
Why each option
When an agile team's velocity drops due to new technology, the project manager should support the team by providing learning opportunities and time to adapt, aligning with self-organizing principles.
Moving 'not performing' members is premature and punitive; the issue is new technology adoption, not necessarily individual underperformance, and contradicts agile principles of supportive leadership.
Adding new members to a team already struggling with new technology can initially decrease velocity due to onboarding overhead, as new members require training and integration time.
Re-assigning the project undermines the self-organizing nature of the team and misses a valuable opportunity for the current team to grow their skills and expertise with the new technology.
A drop in velocity when adopting new technology is a common and expected occurrence as the team learns and gains proficiency. The appropriate management response is to support the team's learning and adjustment, providing resources and time to overcome the knowledge gap, rather than penalizing or changing the team structure.
Concept tested: Agile team development, learning, and adaptation
Topics
Community Discussion
7
Samuel O.Feb 14, 2026D is the right call here. In my experience when a solid self-organizing team hits a new technology, you give them room to climb the learning curve rather than shuffling people around, which just wrecks the team dynamics you spent months building.
Imani T.Feb 8, 2026D. Saw this on my exam last month, almost picked C because it sounded efficient, but the give away was self-organizing teams own their work and need space to learn the new tech, not a manager swapping people around.
Olusegun A.Feb 11, 2026Good call, but to be precise about the PMBOK angle, the servant leader removes impediments and shields the team from external interference, which is why swapping people around is the wrong instinct entirely.
Olusegun A.Jan 31, 2026Going with B on this one. The velocity drop is a capacity problem more than a skills problem, and adding people who already know the tech gets the iterations back on track while the rest of the team ramps up.
Imani T.Feb 2, 2026D is correct here. The question is about addressing the skills gap itself, not papering over it with hires, so upskilling the existing team through training or pairing is what the stem is looking for.
Wesley A.Jan 19, 2026I failed this exact type of question on my first attempt because I picked the "nice" answer, but the reality is this is a performance issue now. A self-organizing team is accountable for its commitments, and when certain members cannot deliver on new technology, the suited management decision is to move those not performing so the team can stabilize and own its velocity again.
Imani T.Jan 20, 2026D is correct here. Wesley is jumping straight to removing people when the actual management move is to get the struggling members the training or support they need, you dont just kick people out the first time velocity dips.