PMP · Question #401
During the planning stage of a project the project manager realizes that a standard stakeholder engagement approach will not suffice. One of the client representatives, who is not a key decision maker
The correct answer is C. Allocate time to gain buy-in from the stakeholder prior to key decision meetings.. To mitigate potential roadblocks from an opinionated non-decision-making stakeholder, the project manager should proactively engage them to gain buy-in before critical decision meetings.
Question
Options
- AAsk that only key decision makers attend the project meetings.
- BUpdate the project schedule to cater to this particular stakeholder.
- CAllocate time to gain buy-in from the stakeholder prior to key decision meetings.
- DUpdate the risk register to consider the possible project impacts.
How the community answered
(24 responses)- A4% (1)
- B13% (3)
- C79% (19)
- D4% (1)
Why each option
To mitigate potential roadblocks from an opinionated non-decision-making stakeholder, the project manager should proactively engage them to gain buy-in before critical decision meetings.
Asking only key decision makers to attend might isolate the opinionated stakeholder, potentially increasing their resistance or causing them to voice objections outside of formal meetings.
Updating the project schedule to cater to a single, non-decision-making stakeholder is generally inefficient and could negatively impact the entire project timeline.
Allocating time to gain buy-in from this stakeholder prior to key decision meetings proactively addresses their potential to become a roadblock. By engaging them individually, understanding their concerns, and making them feel heard, the project manager can preemptively defuse resistance and secure their support, even without their formal decision-making authority.
While it's good practice to update the risk register, simply registering the risk does not *handle* the situation or prevent the stakeholder from becoming a roadblock; it only documents the potential problem.
Concept tested: Stakeholder management and engagement strategies
Source: https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/stakeholder-management-engagement-strategies-6562
Topics
Community Discussion
3
Viktor S.Mar 6, 2026C is the right call. The PMBOK way is to manage stakeholder engagement proactively, which means getting in front of this person before they derail a meeting in front of everyone. You talk to them offline, understand their concerns, make them feel heard, and get them aligned with the direction so they are not grandstanding when real decisions are on the table. D sounds responsible but it is passive, and A is just petty politics that will blow up your relationship with the client.
Yusuf A.Mar 3, 2026My lead PM told me the giveaway here is that the stakeholder is not a key decision maker but could still disrupt things, so you want to handle it proactively rather than through exclusion or schedule changes. Option C makes sense because gaining buy-in before meetings keeps them from derailing the actual decision process, which is basically what the stakeholder engagement plan is for. I almost picked D since a disruptive stakeholder feels like a risk, but my mentor said engagement issues get handled through communication strategies first before escalating to the risk register. Does anyone know if the exam always prefers engagement strategies over risk registration in
Samuel O.Mar 13, 2026C is the right call here and I confirmed it on my exam attempt last month. D is tempting because yes this person could become a risk, but PMI wants you to manage the stakeholder proactively rather than just documenting the problem, and in my experience the pre-meeting buy-in approach is exactly how you keep an opinionated non-decision-maker from derailing things.