PMP · Question #188
A project team member, who is inexperienced in system development work is not performing well. Currently, there are no other staff members available who are qualified to complete the work. What should
The correct answer is A. Assess the team member's development requirements and arrange for the team member to. Given an inexperienced, underperforming team member and no other qualified staff available, the project manager should assess the team member's development needs and arrange for training or coaching to improve their skills.
Question
Options
- AAssess the team member's development requirements and arrange for the team member to
- BSeek approval from the project sponsor to use some of the project budget reserve to hire a new
- CWork with the functional manager to determine an incentive for the team member to complete the
- DRequest a substitute for the team member with a new resource who is more skilled in system
How the community answered
(60 responses)- A75% (45)
- B7% (4)
- C5% (3)
- D13% (8)
Why each option
Given an inexperienced, underperforming team member and no other qualified staff available, the project manager should assess the team member's development needs and arrange for training or coaching to improve their skills.
When a team member is inexperienced and underperforming, and no other qualified resources are available, the most effective and sustainable solution is to invest in the existing team member's development. By assessing their specific training needs and providing opportunities for skill enhancement (e.g., training, mentorship, coaching), the project manager can improve their performance and build internal capability for the project and future endeavors. This aligns with team development best practices.
Hiring a new resource using budget reserves is a viable option if training is not feasible or time-critical, but the question implies a lack of *available* qualified staff, making training the existing resource a primary consideration.
Offering an incentive without addressing the skill gap is unlikely to improve performance significantly if the root cause is inexperience rather than motivation.
Requesting a substitute is not feasible as the question explicitly states "no other staff members available who are qualified to complete the work."
Concept tested: Team development and skill gap resolution
Topics
Community Discussion
3
Anjali D.Mar 20, 2026A is the right call here. Our group landed on this because the question says nobody else is available, so you have to develop the person you have rather than trying to swap them out or spend reserve on a hire. A few people leaned toward D at first, but the stem explicitly rules out other qualified resources, which kills that option. C came up too, but incentives alone do not fix a skills gap, so training and development is the only path that actually addresses the root problem. Anyone else run into this one on practice exams?
Carlos M.Mar 22, 2026Going with A. D is the trap since it sounds like the fast fix, but the question says no other qualified resources are available, so swapping someone in isnt realistic.
Zlatan X.Mar 14, 2026A is correct. D is tempting but the stem says no qualified resources are available.