PMP · Question #390
The project manager is having difficulty obtaining approval of the project requirements because there is disagreement among the project stakeholders. This issue is putting the project schedule at…
The correct answer is C. Identify the source of the disagreement. When stakeholder disagreement risks the project schedule by delaying requirement approval, the project manager should first identify the root cause of the disagreement.
Question
Options
- AReview the project charter
- BPerform a stakeholder analysis
- CIdentify the source of the disagreement
- DHold a team-building event
How the community answered
(43 responses)- A2% (1)
- B9% (4)
- C81% (35)
- D7% (3)
Why each option
When stakeholder disagreement risks the project schedule by delaying requirement approval, the project manager should first identify the root cause of the disagreement.
Reviewing the project charter might provide high-level objectives but will not directly reveal the specific reasons for disagreement among stakeholders regarding detailed requirements.
While performing a stakeholder analysis is crucial for understanding stakeholders, it's typically done earlier in planning; at this stage, the problem is known disagreement, so the focus should be on why they disagree, which is part of conflict resolution rather than initial analysis.
To facilitate approval when there is disagreement among stakeholders, the project manager must first understand why they disagree. Identifying the source of the disagreement will provide the necessary insight to develop a targeted strategy to resolve the conflict and move towards requirement approval.
A team-building event is a general approach to improve team cohesion and may not directly address specific technical or business disagreements related to project requirements.
Concept tested: Conflict resolution in project management
Source: https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/conflict-management-skills-project-managers-8580
Topics
Community Discussion
4
Carlos M.May 29, 2026C is the right call here. You can't resolve a disagreement if you don't know what's driving it, so identifying the source of the conflict has to happen before anything else. A and B are reasonable steps in general but they're too indirect when the schedule is already at risk and you need to unblock approvals fast. D is a trap answer that sounds nice but team-building doesn't fix conflicting requirements.
Prof. SaraJun 5, 2026C is correct because before you can resolve a disagreement you have to find the root cause, which aligns with the People domain focus on conflict resolution. Think of the mnemonic RAD: Root cause, Analyze stakeholders, then Decide on the approach. Quick question for the group: if the disagreement turns out to be a fundamental difference in business objectives rather than a simple misunderstanding, would that change your next step toward formal stakeholder analysis or would you go straight to the charter to validate the original scope?
Luis F.Jun 7, 2026Leaned toward B first but you have to find the root cause before analyzing.
Prof. SaraJun 8, 2026Exactly right, root cause identification must come before analysis, and remember the mnemonic R-C-A (Root Cause Analysis) maps directly to Domain 4 troubleshooting objectives where identifying precedes resolving.