PMP · Question #199
A new team member on a self-organizing team is finding it difficult to deliver due to the new technology being used in the project. What should the project manager do in this situation?
The correct answer is B. Mentor the team member and provide the necessary training.. When a new team member struggles with new technology, the project manager should mentor them and provide necessary training to build their skills and facilitate their integration into the self-organizing team.
Question
A new team member on a self-organizing team is finding it difficult to deliver due to the new technology being used in the project. What should the project manager do in this situation?
Options
- ADelegate other team members to complete this team member's tasks.
- BMentor the team member and provide the necessary training.
- CRequest the team member to move to another team.
- DInclude the team member in an improvement program through a human resources (HR) request.
How the community answered
(28 responses)- A14% (4)
- B79% (22)
- C4% (1)
- D4% (1)
Why each option
When a new team member struggles with new technology, the project manager should mentor them and provide necessary training to build their skills and facilitate their integration into the self-organizing team.
Delegating the new team member's tasks to others is a short-term fix that doesn't resolve the underlying skill gap and prevents the new member from developing and becoming a fully contributing team member.
In a self-organizing team, the project manager's role often shifts to servant leadership, which includes coaching and removing impediments; providing mentorship and training directly addresses the team member's skill gap, enabling them to contribute effectively.
Requesting a team member to move to another team is a premature and drastic step, implying failure rather than attempting to develop their capabilities first.
Including the team member in an HR improvement program is an escalation suitable for performance issues related to attitude or persistent inability, not for a skill gap that can be addressed through direct training and mentorship.
Concept tested: Team development and skill gap resolution
Source: https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/coaching-mentoring-employees-4261
Topics
Community Discussion
6
Bao N.Jul 5, 2026B is correct. On a self-organizing team the PM serves and supports, so mentoring and training the struggling member is the right move, while A, C, and D all dodge the real fix and undermine team cohesion.
Grace U.Jul 6, 2026Agreed on B, and I would add that on a self-organizing team the mentoring itself should ideally be surfaced as a team responsibility rather than something the PM owns alone, which keeps the servant leadership framing intact without the PM quietly slipping back into a traditional manager role.
Dervla O.Jul 5, 2026Leaned toward A but self-organizing means mentor the person, not reassign work.
Grace U.Jul 5, 2026Saw this on my exam last month. B is the PMP answer because supporting team members always comes first.
Zlatan X.Jul 5, 2026B is correct. D tempts you into HR bureaucracy but mentoring is the servant-leadership play.
Grace U.Jul 7, 2026Agreed on B, and the other tell is that formal mentoring programs with assigned pairings rarely stick, whereas a servant-leadership approach to developing people happens organically as part of how you lead day to day.