PMP · Question #32
An experienced project manager is managing a multi-million dollar agile project. The project manager communicates the ground rules to the team, but after 12 iterations, the project manager starts noti
The correct answer is B. Schedule a meeting with the project team to reinforce the ground rules.. The project manager should first schedule a meeting with the team to reinforce ground rules, as direct communication and team self-correction are foundational in agile environments before escalating.
Question
An experienced project manager is managing a multi-million dollar agile project. The project manager communicates the ground rules to the team, but after 12 iterations, the project manager starts noticing that some team members are not following the ground rules. What should the project manager do first to ensure team adherence to the ground rules?
Options
- AAsk the functional manager to replace team members not following the ground rules.
- BSchedule a meeting with the project team to reinforce the ground rules.
- CNotify the project sponsor about this behavior and ask the sponsor to take disciplinary action.
- DContact human resources to request a written warning letter be sent to team members not
How the community answered
(14 responses)- A7% (1)
- B71% (10)
- C14% (2)
- D7% (1)
Why each option
The project manager should first schedule a meeting with the team to reinforce ground rules, as direct communication and team self-correction are foundational in agile environments before escalating.
Replacing team members is a drastic measure and should not be the first action, especially without attempting to resolve the issue directly with the team.
In an agile project, the team is empowered and expected to be self-organizing. The project manager's role is to facilitate and coach, so the first step should be to bring the team together to discuss the observed behavior, reinforce the importance of the ground rules, and encourage the team to self-correct.
Escalating to the project sponsor for disciplinary action is an escalation and bypasses the project manager's responsibility to manage team dynamics and attempt internal resolution first.
Involving human resources for disciplinary action is an extreme and premature step, as the project manager should first attempt to address team adherence through coaching and reinforcement within the team.
Concept tested: Agile Team Ground Rules Reinforcement
Source: https://www.pmi.org/agile/agile-guide/agile-practice-guide-introduction
Topics
Community Discussion
7
Prof. SaraJun 12, 2026B is correct. In the PMBK 7th edition and the PMP Exam Content Outline, team ground rules fall under Domain 2 (Team Performance) and are meant to be self-governing, so the first move is always to coach the team back to the agreement. Since this is an agile project, the servant leader should schedule a team meeting or bring it up in the next retrospective to reinforce the rules and find out why they are slipping after 12 iterations. Escalation to functional managers, sponsors, or HR might eventually be necessary, but PMP questions always want you
Wei W.Jun 14, 2026Agree on coaching the team back to the agreement but the real servant leader move here is less about reinforcing the rules and more about creating the safety to find out why they stopped working, since ground rules that need constant reinforcement after 12 iterations are probably not the team's rules in the first place.
Ola B.Jun 8, 2026B is the right call here. After 12 iterations the team has matured enough that the PM should not be running to HR or the sponsor to handle a ground rules issue, that escalation path skips the direct conversation entirely. Reinforcing the rules with the team first gives everyone a chance to realign before anyone gets penalized. I had almost this exact scenario on my exam last spring and the trick is spotting the escalation trap in C and D. I almost bit on D because in real life you might actually go to HR eventually, but the first step is always to address it directly with the team
Wesley A.Jun 22, 2026Failed my first PMP attempt and this exact scenario tripped me up because I overthought the escalation angle. The key word here is "first" - you always try to address team issues directly with the team before escalating to functional managers, sponsors, or HR. Scheduling a meeting to reinforce the ground rules is the agile-appropriate response since the team owns those rules collectively. D and C are tempting if you come from a traditional PM background, but jumping straight to disciplinary action without first addressing the team is going to cost you points every time.
Wei W.Jun 5, 2026I first leaned toward A because at iteration 12 you'd think enough is enough, but replacing people is a last resort and skips the empirical step of actually talking to the team. B is correct because agile teams self-organize around working agreements, and when adherence slips the first move is bringing everyone together to inspect what's happening and adapt. Maybe the rules are outdated, maybe the team never truly bought into them in the first place. Reinforce, inspect, and let the team own the reset before you escalate to anyone.
Nina C.Jun 19, 2026Coming from a teaching background, I want to make sure I understand this correctly. The PM already communicated the ground rules upfront, so now that people are slipping after 12 iterations, the first step is to bring the team together and reinforce them rather than jumping straight to HR or the sponsor, right? Going with B, though A and D are tempting if you are used to a more traditional disciplinary mindset.
Prof. SaraJun 20, 2026B is correct, and the teaching analogy fits perfectly because iteration 12 means the reinforcement needs to be collaborative, not punitive, just remember the one nuance that if the ground rules themselves turn out to be unrealistic for the team's reality, reinforcing them is not enough and you may need to revisit and update them with the team.