PMP · Question #174
A project team created user stories after understanding the customer requirements. As the project progresses, the project manager observes that there are too many change requests. The team feels that
The correct answer is C. Include a representative from the customer to work collaboratively with the team.. To resolve the misalignment between team outcomes and customer requirements, the project manager should integrate a customer representative into the team for ongoing collaboration and clarification.
Question
A project team created user stories after understanding the customer requirements. As the project progresses, the project manager observes that there are too many change requests. The team feels that the outcomes they are working on are not aligned with the customer requirements. What should the project manager do?
Options
- ARefer to the configuration management knowledge base for similar projects delivered in the past.
- BArrange for a workshop with the customer to understand the business values expected from the
- CInclude a representative from the customer to work collaboratively with the team.
- DAcknowledge that the current team needs improvement and hire more qualified team members.
How the community answered
(32 responses)- A3% (1)
- B13% (4)
- C78% (25)
- D6% (2)
Why each option
To resolve the misalignment between team outcomes and customer requirements, the project manager should integrate a customer representative into the team for ongoing collaboration and clarification.
Referring to past projects' configuration management knowledge base does not address the current, ongoing misalignment between the team's work and the customer's evolving requirements.
While a workshop can help clarify initial business values, the problem suggests an ongoing disconnect as the project progresses, which requires continuous engagement rather than a single event.
When there's a recurring misalignment between team outcomes and customer requirements, having a customer representative embedded directly with the team fosters continuous communication, immediate feedback, and a deeper shared understanding of evolving needs and business value, reducing the number of change requests.
Assuming the team needs improvement or new hires without first addressing the communication and alignment issues with the customer is premature and does not tackle the root cause of misaligned outcomes.
Concept tested: Enhancing customer collaboration in agile
Source: https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/devops/plan/customer-collaboration-feedback
Topics
Community Discussion
8
Mateus R.Jun 30, 2026C is the answer. Think of it like building a custom house: you can hand the crew a stack of notes from the owner, but if the foreman never checks in with the owner during construction, you end up remodeling the kitchen three times. In agile terms, you close that feedback loop by embedding a customer representative, often called a product owner, directly with the team so priorities and business value stay aligned every single day.
Wei W.Jul 3, 2026Agreed on C, and I would add that the empirical loop only truly closes when the team inspects an actual working increment with that product owner, not just coordinates priorities.
Toby R.Jul 5, 2026Picked B first too since getting the customer back in a room to talk through business value sounds like the right move when alignment is off. But the question is really about ongoing collaboration throughout the project, not just a one-off workshop to reset. C is the better answer because embedding a customer representative directly with the team catches misalignment early and reduces those change requests at the source instead of reacting to them after the fact. Saw this exact scenario on my exam last month and the key was recognizing they needed continuous feedback, not another meeting.
Grace U.Jul 8, 2026Good catch on the continuous feedback angle, and the other thing to watch for is that the phrasing around reducing change requests at the source is usually what distinguishes C from answers that just sound collaborative.
Grace U.Jul 5, 2026Leaned toward B first, but the ongoing misalignment signals a need for closer collaboration, which points to C.
Mateus R.Jul 6, 2026C is right, but the key phrase to flag on exam day is "ongoing" - a one-time misalignment you fix with a sync, ongoing misalignment you fix with a standing meeting.
Wei W.Jul 5, 2026If the team wrote user stories from the requirements and still cannot align outcomes with what the customer actually needs, that is a capability gap, not a process gap. D is the pragmatic call: bring in people who can translate customer requirements into working increments without constant rework.
Toby R.Jul 7, 2026C is right on this one, Wei. The issue is the team has no real customer feedback loop in their process, so adding direct customer validation to each iteration fixes the alignment problem without assuming the team lacks skills.