PMP · Question #399
A project manager is implementing a new software system. Some department staff members are questioning the necessity of the change and feel the new system will impede their current processes. What sho
The correct answer is D. Involved stakeholders from all levels of the company so everyone understands the change. To prevent resistance to a new system, the project manager should have involved stakeholders from all levels early on to ensure understanding and buy-in.
Question
A project manager is implementing a new software system. Some department staff members are questioning the necessity of the change and feel the new system will impede their current processes. What should the project manager have done at the start of the project to prevent this resistance'?
Options
- ACreated a communications management plan that outlined the method of communicating to
- BEnsured that the company culture encourages changes before accepting the project
- CEncouraged leadership to discuss the change with departments that are typically resistant to
- DInvolved stakeholders from all levels of the company so everyone understands the change
How the community answered
(46 responses)- A7% (3)
- B20% (9)
- C9% (4)
- D65% (30)
Why each option
To prevent resistance to a new system, the project manager should have involved stakeholders from all levels early on to ensure understanding and buy-in.
A communications management plan outlines *how* to communicate but doesn't inherently involve stakeholders in a way that builds understanding and prevents resistance to the *necessity* of the change itself.
While company culture is important, the project manager's primary responsibility is managing the project, not changing the entire company culture before accepting a project.
Encouraging leadership to discuss the change is a good step, but it's less direct and less inclusive than involving stakeholders from all levels, which allows for two-way communication and direct engagement.
Involving stakeholders from all levels of the company early in the project lifecycle ensures they understand the change, its benefits, and how it aligns with their needs. This proactive engagement builds trust and ownership, significantly reducing resistance by addressing concerns and incorporating feedback before they become impediments.
Concept tested: Stakeholder engagement and change management
Source: https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/stakeholder-engagement-project-success-6983
Topics
Community Discussion
8
Lena V.Apr 27, 2026D. The exam keywords here are resistance and multiple departments, which points straight to stakeholder engagement early in the process. Getting buy-in from all levels upfront ensures people understand the change rather than fighting it during implementation.
Zlatan X.Apr 28, 2026Agreed on D, and at the program altitude you would frame that early engagement as a governance-driven stakeholder register analysis across all affected components, not just a one-off buy-in push, because resistance surfacing during implementation usually means interdependency impacts were never mapped back to benefits realization.
Zlatan X.Apr 19, 2026Saw this on my exam last month and picked D because resistance at the department level always traces back to inadequate stakeholder engagement during initiation, not a communications plan gap. The program governance angle here is that when you involve stakeholders across all levels upfront, you surface those interdependencies and concerns before they become adoption risks that threaten benefits realization downstream.
Yusuf A.Apr 21, 2026One of the seniors on my team said the same thing about D, though he also mentioned that if the question had said ongoing resistance six months in rather than at go-live, the communications plan answer becomes more defensible.
Yusuf A.May 15, 2026One of the senior PMs at my company just dealt with something similar and he said the key is getting people involved early, not just sending out a comms plan. A is tempting because communication sounds like the fix, but D is about actual involvement and buy-in from all levels, which is what prevents resistance at the root. The wording on A is also weirdly cut off, but even if it were complete, one-way communication doesn't solve the problem of people feeling their processes are threatened. D is the proactive answer because when stakeholders help shape the change, they are way less likely to push
Luis F.May 1, 2026Saw this on my exam, D is right, early stakeholder involvement kills resistance.
Toby R.Apr 7, 2026Just sat for PMP last month and got a very similar scenario about stakeholder resistance. D is the answer they are looking for because the PMBOK is big on involving stakeholders early and often, not just telling them about the change later through a comms plan. Option A is tempting but a communications plan is more about how and when you share information, not actually getting people involved in shaping the change so they feel ownership. C sounds reasonable but it pushes the responsibility onto leadership instead of the PM doing the stakeholder engagement work themselves. One thing I am still fuzzy on though, where exactly is
Yusuf A.Apr 9, 2026Thanks Toby, I picked A on my first try too until one of the senior PMs on my team pointed out that involving stakeholders in shaping the change builds ownership, which a comms plan alone cannot really do.