PMP · Question #194
An organization is adopting an agile mindset. On the first agile project, the project manager faced an issue because the team was unable to make decisions on time. What should the project manager do t
The correct answer is A. Assess the situation to understand how the organization's culture impacts the decision-making. To address slow decision-making in a new agile environment, the project manager should first assess the organizational culture's impact on decision-making, as cultural resistance is common during agile adoption.
Question
An organization is adopting an agile mindset. On the first agile project, the project manager faced an issue because the team was unable to make decisions on time. What should the project manager do to address the problem?
Options
- AAssess the situation to understand how the organization's culture impacts the decision-making
- BAdopt an autocratic leadership style and dictate all decisions in order to speed up the team's
- CInvite senior leadership to a team-building workshop and restate the importance of accountability
- DDefine clear guidelines on how decisions should be made under the new organizational policy
How the community answered
(38 responses)- A68% (26)
- B18% (7)
- C8% (3)
- D5% (2)
Why each option
To address slow decision-making in a new agile environment, the project manager should first assess the organizational culture's impact on decision-making, as cultural resistance is common during agile adoption.
When a team struggles with timely decision-making in a new agile environment, the most appropriate first step is to assess the underlying organizational culture, as existing cultural norms or power structures often hinder the empowered, self-organizing decision-making characteristic of agile teams.
Adopting an autocratic style directly contradicts the agile principle of self-organizing teams and empowerment, further disempowering the team and hindering the adoption of an agile mindset.
While accountability is important, inviting senior leadership to a team-building workshop without first understanding the root cause of the decision-making issue might not address the core problem and could even be perceived as an unproductive intervention.
Defining clear guidelines for decision-making might be a solution, but it's a premature step before assessing why the team is currently unable to make decisions, as the problem might stem from cultural resistance, lack of trust, or unclear roles rather than just undefined guidelines.
Concept tested: Agile adoption and cultural impact
Source: https://www.pmi.org/disciplined-agile/agile-adoption-strategies/organizational-change-management
Topics
Community Discussion
5
Brenda K.Dec 11, 2025A is the correct answer and this one is a quick win if you know the agile mindset. The team is struggling to make decisions because the old organizational culture probably trained them to wait for management direction. Assessing the situation first respects the agile principle of servant leadership, where you identify the root cause before forcing a fix. B and D are trap answers because they impose top-down control, which kills the self-organizing team concept.
Carlos M.Jan 5, 2026A, saw this on my exam last month, the culture angle is always right here.
Grace U.Dec 27, 2025A is the move here. When a team stalls on decisions, the instinct is to force a process or take over, but agile calls for understanding the root cause first. The culture they came from probably required approvals and sign-offs, so the team is waiting for permission without realizing it. Got almost this exact question on my exam last June and sat on it for a while because D looked so reasonable. What clicked for me was remembering that servant leadership means assessing the environment before imposing rules, so I went with A and it was correct.
Fatima Z.Dec 14, 2025I am locking in B because agile teams that cannot make decisions will tank the sprint, and sometimes you just need a driver to steer the bus. Think of my handy memory hook, DADS: Dictate A Decision, Ship it. When the team freezes, the PM steps in, makes the call, and keeps the work moving so the iteration does not stall. Speed and momentum matter more than consensus on day one of your very first agile rodeo.
Grace U.Dec 15, 2025It is actually A. Agile teams self-organize and the PM or Scrum Master facilitates the decision rather than making it for them, so the team owns the outcome and the process stays intact even when things feel stuck.